The Dimensional Divide
by DDragonWhisper
Summary: A girl from this universe ends up in the future timeline of the Dragon Ball Z universe. Surprisingly she has no sensible ki but even if she is powerless her knowledge of events may be the only way to a peaceful world. Can she change the future for the better or watch everything fall apart? Trunks X OC
1. Hope

**The Dimensional Divide**

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 **Notes:** This is rated M mostly for language in the beginning, although it will contain violence and some suggestive themes. As per the guidelines, violent acts and suggestive themes will not be explicit. This story will also touch on some serious mental health issues as well as some other serious issues. Also, this story is categorized as a Romance/Adventure but it will contain many genres including: humor, drama, mystery, and others. Much of this story will also be from the OC main character's point of view but it may shift to Trunks' point of view at times. I'd like to keep only mostly one point of view per chapter. This story will also cover events from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super so please tell me if there are any inconsistencies; events can be hard to keep track of after all. There may be some spoilers if you haven't seen at least to the Future Trunks arc of Dragon Ball Super.

If you don't like introductions so much then you can skip to the next chapter. Both this chapter and the next are of similar events but from two different points of view so if you really find introduction chapters kind of boring then chapter 2 is from Trunks' point of view. It might be a little more interesting since he is a familiar character.

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 **1\. Hope**

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 _I never knew where I was going, I suppose nobody does. Drifting through life, I tried to do everything I could correctly. Life isn't like a game; I can't reset if something goes wrong. I wanted to be careful and cautious when making any decision because in one way or another it would follow me throughout my life. I'm sure people think I'm being too serious, like maybe I haven't lived. I do take risks, but they are calculated ones._

 _So far, things have been good. Nothing is great or bad, but somewhere in the middle. When I finished college I moved away from home, got a decent job, and a small but comfortable apartment. The job paid the bills but it wasn't anything special. I worked, came home, ate, watched shows, played games, and went to bed. I know it sounds boring but, it was safe. Hey, sometimes I showered and did laundry during the week. Yeah, I know that's boring too._

 _Having moved away from my hometown, I didn't have any close friends to hang out with or anywhere I wanted to go. I didn't know the area and didn't care to I suppose; I'm kind of an introvert. Still, the days were mostly peaceful and I know peace can be really boring. People want excitement don't they? Conflict and uncertainty come with excitement. I'm alright with uncertainty; it's the reason I moved to a new town in the first place, but conflict I could do without. Conflict leads to pain, anger and death. I'd rather my boring peace than any of that. I'll leave conflict in the pages of books._

 _I pride myself on being practical. At age twenty six I was a responsible adult. I could take care of myself and pay bills/taxes. I don't think anyone likes the bills and taxes part though. Being an adult sure was fun. Could you feel my slight sarcasm in that last statement? No matter how practical I am, I'm not happy. I'm not sad either but merely empty, like something is missing. Now I know what you might be thinking: Hope, you just need a boyfriend. Oh yeah, my name is Hope. Sorry I didn't introduce myself at the beginning. I'm kind of bad at this whole "write about yourself" thing._

 _I'm a brunette with green eyes and I think I'm average looking. I guess it depends on your definition of average. I don't think I have any special traits. I definitely don't have any talents._

I sighed while staring down at the page, trying to remember why I was doing this again. It was to organize my thoughts wasn't it? I suppose it didn't matter how it is written then. It's not like anyone was going to read it. Putting the pen on the paper, I continued.

 _Anyway, if I just needed companionship I would just get a pet. I don't need a guy to fill that role. Plus, if I just need that then I would have felt fine when I was with my friends and family. It's just that no matter what, I feel like I am missing something. It's not depression at all, but more like just an unfulfilled feeling. I did everything right didn't I? What did I miss?_

I tapped the pen on the desk while examining the last sentence. What did I miss? I thought I had started this off strong, but it all puttered out in the end. So, was that my problem? Was I unfulfilled? I suppose I did find myself staring at the sky a lot wondering if there was any point to anything. I guess, maybe I want a purpose.

In frustration, I ruffled my hair into a mess. People must feel this from time to time. I can't be the only one. Dammit.

I needed to get my mind off of this. The trash needed to be taken out anyway. I picked up the paper and crumpled it up quickly before throwing it out. Tying up the bag, I dragged it out to the dumpster and tossed it in. I sighed for the hundredth time today as I rubbed my arms for warmth. It was spring but the air was still kind of cold at night. I had caught myself looking up at the stars again with an absent mind. Why was I like this?

I made my way briskly inside again only to sit down on the couch and stare. The apartment was quiet; it was always quiet. At this time of night everyone was sleeping. Why was I still awake? I didn't know what I wanted. Maybe if I just watched something it will put me to sleep so I could forget about this. If I put on something I've already seen before then I wouldn't have to pay attention to it. I tried connecting to Netflix on the Wii U but after a few failed attempts I checked the modem and the internet was out. Great.

Whatever, I didn't feel like messing with it. Looking through my small collection of movies and shows I was deciding between DBZ and Yu Yu Hakusho. Well I hadn't seen Yu Yu Hakusho in a while so I put the Dark Tournament Saga on. Maybe next time DBZ. Turning out the lights and lying in bed, my head still spun with irritating thoughts. I don't need a boyfriend. I'd hate to seek someone just because I need a purpose in life. I mean, that's ridiculous to think that a relationship would fix anything. No, if it happens it happens. I'm just empty like the sky with drifting clouds that have no particular direction, always drifting. Somewhere among my doubt I fell asleep to the changing glow of the television.

I woke up in the afternoon feeling a little better. Maybe I would do something different today; it was one of my only days off of work after all. I got dressed to go out and placed my phone in my pocket with my debit card. Briskly walking down the stairs and out of the building I went to the back woods. I'm not really sure if you could really call them woods exactly but there was a small group of trees and a little creek that ran along the back of the building by the parking lot. If you walked along a path there for a while it would bring you out to a grocery store where I was going to find something delicious to eat.

The sun was bright and the leaves were just starting to bud on the trees again; it was definitely spring. It was a normal average spring day. I guess that's why I didn't expect anything odd to happen. I didn't think anything of it when I was walking down the small dirt path and it became slightly darker. I thought maybe it was cloud cover or the trees where just blocking the sun. Some of the light even seemed to have a purple tint to it. Maybe a storm was rolling in? I looked up at the sky to see a haze of purple and blue. Weird, it was sunny a minute ago.

That's when the sense of dread hit me. My heart started beating faster as I looked around at the now dark forest. No matter which direction I looked I couldn't see very far, as if a black fog obscured my vision. A dark hole formed on the ground in front of me and like some stupid fucking idiot I didn't do anything when it expanded. Maybe fear had taken control of me. I was frozen until the ground seemed to fall beneath me.

I instinctively screamed but who would hear me? I was falling fast. Confused and frightened, I only remember darkness then tons of bright lights while wind whipped past my ears. The lights only increased until even my closed eyes couldn't take it then the unimaginable pain set in. I didn't even hear my own scream before passing out, or at least I can only assume I passed out because I couldn't remember anything after that.

* * *

I had hoped I was dreaming until I woke up with a pounding headache, and an achy pain everywhere else. I winced while sitting up slowly; the motion really hurt my head. I never felt anything like this before; what happened? Looking around, my heart stopped. I wasn't at my house, this wasn't my bed, and it was dark outside. My mind was consumed by two questions: where was I and what happened?

I pulled the covers off and got out of the bed. I still had my same clothes on but they were a little dirty and torn in a few places. I checked my pocket to find my phone was still there with my card. I checked my phone to see that it had been six hours since I left the house but I didn't have any signal and no Wifi connections available. Great, just great.

I coughed but didn't expect it to hurt as much as it did. I looked over myself to check my condition but I really did seem fine; I was only a little dirty with a few scrapes. Dammit, why did everything hurt so much? Did I fall off a cliff or get hit by a car?

The room itself seemed pretty normal, but judging by the sparse amount of furniture or decoration, it seemed like some kind of spare bedroom. I went to the door and opened it to a hallway that curved around out of sight. Was this building round? It was kind of empty in the hall with other doors nearby. Looking back at my own door I noticed it had a letter and number: B9. Maybe this was a hospital. That's the only thing that made sense.

"Hey, you're awake," a male voice said as he quickly walked up to me.

He had lavender hair that was buzzed under a bit then straight cut across. I'm not sure what that kind of haircut is called but lavender hair, you don't see that every day. His clothes seemed pretty normal, dark pants and a black sleeveless shirt. This only showed off how muscular he was, I mean jeez, roids much?

He seemed kind of serious when looking at me, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah . . . I'm okay," I think, "Just a pounding headache and soreness."

I rubbed my head again, it defiantly wasn't getting any better, "If you don't mind me asking: who are you?"

"My name is Trunks," he answered, still serious.

Trunks? Now that he said it, he really did kind of look like Trunks from DBZ. He was a pretty good cosplayer.

I laughed, "Ha, nice. I get it but what's your real name?"

For once his expression changed, "Get what? My name is Trunks."

Was he really going to keep it up? He must be committed or something, "Yeah, right. Anyway, were you the one that brought me here?"

"Yeah, I found you in a crater outside the city," he said, still a little offended from my last question.

"A crater?" I repeated, "What do you mean a crater?"

He seemed to become serious again, "I saw a strange meteor fall from the sky and when I went to check it out, you were there in the middle of it all. I was surprised you weren't in worse shape."

A meteor? This was way too crazy or maybe this guy was the one that was crazy.

"O-kay. So what hospital is this?" I asked, hoping that at least I could figure out where I was now.

"Hospital?" he said, puzzled, "This isn't a hospital, it's the Capsule Corp. headquarters."

What the heck was he getting out of this? "Can you just cut the crap? I'm in a lot of pain alright."

I felt the cough come on again as it pained me way too much. Why did it hurt so much to cough?

He was suddenly concerned, "You don't look so good. Maybe you should go rest again. My mother already called for a doctor."

"Oh and I suppose your mother is Bulma, right?" I asked sarcastically after the fit subsided, but he seemed genuinely shocked by my comment.

"How did you know my mother's name is Bulma?" he asked.

He was a really good actor.

"Everyone knows that. Look, you play the part well but I really need some help so I'm going to find the doctor myself. If you are the one that helped me then thanks but stay away from me alright. I'm not amused by your antics right now," I told him before pushing past him.

His expression was incomprehensible. Was he mad, surprised or hurt? I didn't know. Either way, I found it in poor taste to be acting when I was clearly not well. Plus, I didn't even know him. Did he even know me? Why would someone mess with an injured person?

He quickly blocked my path and was glaring at me from what I can tell, "Who are you and why are you here?"

"What? You're the one that brought me here," I stated, confused by his question.

"Why did you come to Earth?" he rephrased his questioned more seriously.

This was really starting to freak me out, "You're crazy, just let me pass."

I tried to move past him but he gripped my wrist this time. Now he really had my full attention. I tried to pull away but he was way too strong.

I could tell that he was trying to keep his voice level, "Please, just tell me who- no, what are you and why did you come to Earth?"

I should make a note not to refuse crazy people.

I guess I should at least answer his questions or he may become more hostile, "I'm . . . human. My name is Hope. I live here on Earth. Specifically I live in a town called Alden."

His eyes widened a little, "That can't be."

He looked to the side with a thoughtful expression. What was he trying to figure out?

"How do you know my mother and what do you mean by 'everybody knows'?" He questioned further.

"It's basically common knowledge, just like I know your father is Vegeta too," I answered, playing along as to not upset him.

It was really weird to have this kind of conversation and I wasn't really in the mood for it. Why was I in so much pain?

Luckily this shook him. His grip loosened as he stared at me in astonishment, "Are you . . . from a different time?"

I felt a coughing fit come on again and as I painfully cleared my lungs I noticed that this time I hacked up blood. The sight of it scared me. Was I going to die? I don't know if it was just my shock or body giving out on me, but my vision was becoming blurry and my legs lost their strength.

As I slid to the floor I could hardly hear what the Trunks impersonator in front of me was saying. Was I passing out again? It felt like something was crawling up my neck and I couldn't breathe. Was my vision getting darker? It was so painful. Was I going to die here with this crazy person? I didn't want to, not yet. Please, not yet.

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 **Notes:** Hopefully that wasn't too weird. It'll all make more sense in time of course. I also didn't want to make this chapter too long because it's an introduction so it's only about 2000 words while most of my other chapters are 8000 or so. Rarely do they go over 9000 . . . yeah sorry, bad joke. Anyway, things are a little slow are first but I really try to keep people in character as much as possible.

By the way, Alden was a town I visited once. It was really cute so I decided to use the name in this chapter.


	2. Shooting Stars

**Notes:** This chapter is from Trunks' point of view. It covers a few events that are unknown to the OC main character in chapter one.

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 **2\. Shooting Stars**

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Trunks stood out on the balcony and looked up at the stars. It was a nice night, kind of cold for summer though. Usually he would have gone to bed by now but he had stayed up later to help his mother with her work. Ever since he destroyed the androids, his mother had been working day and night to help rebuild the new peaceful world. The least he could do was help her out.

He had also fallen behind on his training lately but the world seemed to be moving at a slower pace. Is this what peace was like? No, he still couldn't help but feel uneasy even during times like this. With everything being fine for years now, he had no reason to feel this way.

It almost made him feel like something was wrong with him. Sometimes he would see them in his dream; he would see the androids, Cell, and other unknown enemies that were much stronger. No matter what he did, they still haunted him. What if someone stronger came along? What if he wasn't strong enough to beat them? What if he couldn't protect his mother and the people of Earth?

Everyone else felt at peace yet he couldn't. He couldn't let his guard down, not yet. Somehow his mind wouldn't let him.

He sighed and was about to go back inside but the movement of light caught his eye.

"A meteor shower?" he questioned aloud.

The burning rocks made dozens of shooting stars.

He heard the door open behind him along with his mother's voice, "Trunks what are you- A meteor shower? Amazing!"

He turned to see her face light up at the sight of the burning lights.

"How come you didn't come and get me?" she scolded lightly.

"It only just started," he responded in his defense as she joined him to watch the celestial phenomenon.

They watched in silence for a while until she finally spoke again, "Trunks, is something wrong?"

This caught him off guard, "What? Why would you ask that?"

She smiled knowingly, "I'm your mother; I would know if something has been bothering my son."

He sighed in defeat. Of course she would notice, "I've just been a little uneasy is all. Everything has been great so far but I know how fragile peace can be. I don't know if someone will come along and try to take it away."

Although he may not have notice himself tense up with his own words, his mother saw it clearly.

"I know it must have been hard growing up in fearful times, but as your mother I want you to be happy. You've been working so hard that I'm worried about you," she said with a concerned half frown, "And even if someone comes along and tries to destroy what we've built, I'm sure we can handle it. You always have your mother here to help out after all."

He smiled almost half-heartedly, "I know, thanks mom but I'm happy just helping everyone live normal lives again."

"Well that's good and all to help everyone else live normal lives but what about you? How am I ever going to have grandchildren if you never go out and meet a nice girl?" Bulma smiled widely to lighten the mood.

"What?" he felt himself blush at the thought, "I've been out."

It was true that he was so caught up that he didn't even think of meeting anyone, let alone having children.

"Yes you go out to train or help with restoration but you never go out just to have fun," she stated, "You should enjoy your youth while you still have it."

"What about you? You've been working hard too," he pointed out.

She just brushed it off, "I've already had my youthful adventures."

"You still seem pretty young to me," he commented, thinking of how much she does on a regular basis.

She smiled warmly and held a hand to her son's cheek, "Trunks, promise me you'll find your own happiness."

He smiled warmly back and placed his hand on hers, "I promise."

"And promise me you'll find a nice girl to give me grandchildren," she said more teasingly.

"I, well, uh," he tried to find the words through his embarrassment.

She laughed a little and removed her hand, "I suppose I'll just have to wish it on the stars then."

Putting her hands together, she spoke to the falling meteors, "I wish that this peaceful world will remain."

A little surprised that her wish was different than her intentions he smiled and looked at the shooting stars as well. If stars could grant wishes, that wouldn't be a bad wish at all.

"Yeah, I wish that too," he said, turning his attention to the sky as well.

"And that my son will find a wife," she added quickly.

"I don't think you can just tack that on at the end of a wish," he sighed.

"Who said I can't? Stars don't have limits like dragon balls," she pouted.

She was really pushing this grandchildren thing lately. It was getting kind of ridiculous. If it happens it happens. He wasn't going out of his way to look. The peace of the world seemed more important.

As if the universe heard the wish and said "fuck you in particular," he felt a strong ki close in from a great distance. This froze him in place, it was unlike anything he had ever felt before. No, why now? Why when things were just getting better?

"That meteor looks like it's getting a little close doesn't it?" his mother commented as a light burned into the atmosphere longer than the other ones.

It was definitely headed this way. Trunks didn't even notice his teeth and fists were clenched.

Bulma looked over at her son and immediately detected his tension, "Trunks, what's wrong?"

He ran inside to find his sword and strapped it on as his mother caught up to him, "Trunks, what is it? What did you sense?"

"Something powerful," he was trying to sound normal before rushing out.

She followed him frantically and shouted, "Trunks!"

He stopped when he was outside again. The meteor was closing in fast as it hit the Earth just outside of West City. A dull rumble shook the ground.

"What was that?" Bulma questioned aloud.

Trunks turned to his mother and tried to be reassuring, "I'm going to check it out. I'll be back soon."

He took off seconds after finishing his sentence as she shouted after him, "Be careful!"

As he sped through the cool night sky he could feel the ki dropping. Maybe they were trying to mask it? He had to get there faster before it disappeared.

He picked up the pace and soon came to a large crater in the ground. Luckily it didn't land anywhere populated.

It turned out that he was too late; the powerful ki had disappeared. Where had it gone? They couldn't have gotten far. He was only a second late and it was still in the same spot before he stopped sensing it. Searching the area with only his eyes to guide him, he was expecting to see something moving in the dark. When he checked out the center of it all, he stiffened. Instead of a rock or ship, he saw a body. Cautiously moving in closer he began to make out more about this person. It was a fairly young girl with brown hair. She seemed to be scratched and dirty from impact but otherwise she seemed normal enough.

What was a girl doing here? Was she the source of that light, that ki? She couldn't be, could she?

He couldn't sense anything at all; her ki was gone? Was she dead? It took some time and careful consideration before he moved nearer. What if she was faking it and struck him when his guard was down?

He was close. Nothing. He moved closer. Nothing. He was in front of her now. Nothing.

Examining her further it looked like she was breathing, but barely. Did he dare to check for sure? Leaning down he cautiously put a finger to her neck. She had a pulse so she wasn't dead.

Although, come to think of it, the androids didn't have a sensible ki either and looked human. That still didn't explain the ki he felt earlier. The androids were also made here on Earth and she fell from the sky. What did it all mean?

If she was a threat then it made sense just to kill her here and now while she was out. If she was awake, that ki he sensed earlier, could he combat her?

His hand went to the hilt of his sword. What if he was wrong? What if she really wasn't a threat at all? He didn't know. He didn't know! What should he do?

She made a small groan-like noise, twitched an arm and a leg then turned her head toward him. She was still out. With her face toward him now, he examined it once again. She just looked like she was sleeping. Nothing strange about it.

His hand went back down to his side. What was he thinking? Honestly, she didn't look powerful at all. Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. It could have been something else. Still, why would she be here in the middle of it, practically unscathed? Even normal humans had sensible ki unless they were dead. Clearly she was moving and breathing. Dammit, what did it mean?

She then made a small noise again which broke his thought process. He noticed that she was shaking or rather she was shivering; it was cold out after all. He sighed, defeated by his own doubts. Shivering from the cold, she really did seem human. Hopefully he wouldn't regret this.

He needed to unbuckle his sword to take off his jacket and put it over her. Refastening the weapon again he carefully tried picking her up. A few pained sounds escaped her which made him hesitate. Finally, he found the best position he could before taking off with her. He decided that he would take her home. If she tried anything then he would be there to stop her and if she was just a normal human then at least she would get the help she needed. Maybe she could tell him what happened when she recovered.

It took him a little longer to get home because he had to fly slower when with her. He didn't know how injured she was after all. He landed on the ground outside the building as his mother ran up to him. She must have been waiting for him to come home.

"Trunks!" she shouted as she ran up to him but noticed he wasn't alone, "Who's this?"

She went to examine the girl but Trunks warned her, "Careful, I don't know if she's friendly. I found her passed out in the center of the meteor strike."

"Really?" Bulma asked, surprised, "What happened to the ki you sensed?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "It might have been her or something else. She was the only one I found there."

Bulma seemed serious, "Bring her inside."

They went up to a spare room: B9.

"This used to be an observation room so I should have a camera in here to watch her," she said while Trunks placed her in the bed, replacing his jacket with the sheets.

In this kind of situation she really did look like a normal sleeping human. What was that ki if not her?

"Trunks I'm going to lock the door," his mother warned as he tore away and followed her.

This whole thing made him way too uneasy. They had gone down to the lab where she pulled up a screen to the room on one of the computer displays. The girl was still sleeping.

"I'm going to call the doctor, we'll be able to know who or what she is once she is examined," Bulma said before picking up the phone.

Trunks removed his sword and sat down. This was turning out to be a difficult night. He was so uneasy. He just need to know if she was friend or foe. At least that much would pacify his mind; the other details could come later.

"It looks like she's up already," Bulma said seriously after the call.

Sure enough when Trunks looked at the monitor, she was sitting up and holding her head. She then got out of bed and seemed to be checking a device. So she had that in her pocket? He didn't even think to look. Looking around the room a little more and coughing a bit, she then went and opened the door making him jump out of his chair.

"I thought I locked it," Bulma said quickly with some embarrassment.

Without thinking, he ran out of the room and up to the floor she was held on.

Before he came up to the room he tried to calm himself. He didn't know if she was friend or foe yet. If she wasn't harmful he would scare her if he was too forward. He had to tell himself to stay casual until he knew for sure.

"Hey, you're awake," he tried to say as casually as he could while walking up to her.

She seemed like she was in pain. Her eyes were slightly squinted and she was hunched over a bit.

He still couldn't let his guard down yet, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah . . . I'm okay," she said with clear pain in her voice, "Just a pounding headache and soreness."

She rubbed her head before speaking again, "If you don't mind me asking: who are you?"

He guessed there was no harm in telling her his name, "My name is Trunks."

She just laughed. What was funny about that?

"Ha, nice. I get it but what's your real name?" she questioned with a slight smile.

What was she talking about? "Get what? My name is Trunks."

Was there some kind of joke he didn't get? Why was his name funny?

"Yeah, right. Anyway, were you the one that brought me here?" she asked but it seemed like she was skeptical.

What was with this girl?

"Yeah, I found you in a crater outside the city," he told her.

Maybe now she would give something away.

"A crater?" she repeated with a face of shock, "What do you mean a crater?"

Did she really not know or was she hiding it? He needed to know what she knew about it, "I saw a strange meteor fall from the sky and when I went to check it out, you were there in the middle of it all. I was surprised you weren't in worse shape."

She only seemed to stare at him in disbelief for a while. If she was acting then she was really good at it.

"O-kay. So what hospital is this?" she asked after some time.

"Hospital?" She really must have been confused, "This isn't a hospital, it's the Capsule Corp. headquarters."

She knew what a hospital was so that was at least comforting. Maybe she really was a normal human. Although, he didn't know why, but somehow she seemed agitated by his answer.

"Can you just cut the crap? I'm in a lot of pain alright," she growled at him.

She then started coughing and gasping. It looked like it she was in a lot of pain. The impact really did a number on her. Why didn't she believe him?

"You don't look so good. Maybe you should go rest again. My mother already called for a doctor," he suggested while holding his hand out in case she fell.

She really didn't look well. Maybe she was confused because she hit her head or something.

"Oh and I suppose your mother is Bulma, right?" She asked in a sarcastic tone.

Wait, have they met before? How would she know that? There were probably only a hand full of people who knew them well enough.

"How did you know my mother's name is Bulma?" he asked curiously.

She scoffed at him, "Everyone knows that. Look, you play the part well but I really need some help so I'm going to find the doctor myself. If you are the one that helped me then thanks but stay away from me alright. I'm not amused by your antics right now."

Everyone knows that? Play the part well? What antics was she talking about? Did she really not believe anything he was saying? Who the hell was this girl?

She pushed past him in his confusion but he quickly blocked her path.

He was going to get some answers, "Who are you and why are you here?"

"What? You're the one that brought me here," she answered, a little annoyed.

Was she just playing dumb or did she really not know what he meant?

He needed to be direct, "Why did you come to Earth?"

Her expression turned fearful. It seemed he asked the right question; she was from another planet.

"You're crazy, just let me pass," she said while trying to escape him.

He wouldn't let her go now that he knew, so he grabbed on to her wrist. She was trying to break free but she must have been too weakened from the impact earlier. Yet somehow when he looked into her frightened eyes he couldn't help but feel bad. Maybe she was from another planet but that didn't mean that she was automatically a foe.

He tried to keep his voice as level as possible, "Please, just tell me who- no, what are you and why did you come to Earth?"

Her mouth opened and closed a few times. Was she deciding whether to answer him or not?

Finally, she answered slowly, "I'm . . . human. My name is Hope. I live here on Earth. Specifically I live in a town called Alden."

At first he didn't believe this; she seemed sincere enough, "That can't be."

Come on, piece it together. She seemed confused, she knew who his mother was, she said she was human, she said she lives on Earth, she has no ki, and he found her in a crater. She could be lying about everything but there was no doubt that it was strange of her to know who his mother was if she was from another planet. This was the one thing he couldn't deny.

"How do you know my mother and what do you mean by 'everybody knows'?" He questioned further.

Maybe she had figured this out somewhere if she was from Earth like she said she was. Capsule Corp. was a big company after all. Maybe during their efforts to restore the world people just knew who they were now and he just wasn't paying attention. Maybe he was just too on edge when around this mysterious person.

"It's basically common knowledge, just like I know your father is Vegeta too," she answered simply.

What? No one knew that. No one _could_ know that. How could someone he never met know that? Wait, it couldn't be. She didn't have a time machine but that would be the only thing that made sense. That's why she didn't believe him. That's why she said she was from Earth. That's why she knew who he was but he didn't know her.

He needed to ask; he need to be sure, "Are you . . . from a different time?"

She started having a coughing fit but this time she coughed up blood. Was her condition really that bad? Her eyes went hazy as she slumped to the floor. He caught her so she wouldn't fall over. Blood was dripping from her mouth at this point.

"Are you okay? Hey, hold on!" he tried to get her to wake up but her eyes slowly closed.

She couldn't be dying could she? As he held onto her, he noticed her breathing was becoming more ridged.

"Trunks, what happened?" his mother asked as she made her way over to them.

Dammit, where was that doctor?

* * *

It looked like she was going to be fine for now. The doctor had said it was miraculous she was still alive. So far it turned out that she was human, but from when or where? How did she get here without a vehicle?

Over the next few days the once simple room she stayed in became more and more like a hospital room. She was on an IV and wouldn't wake up. It seemed that they needed a stay in nurse just to watch her. Her condition wasn't exactly stable so they never knew if her body would give out at any moment.

"Trunks, stop pacing and come look at this," Bulma said while she was looking over a device.

He stopped, not even noticing that he was pacing. Sighing, he went over to where his mother was working.

She was holding a card and something he had never seen before, "What's that?"

"It's from the girl, Hope right?" she said picking up a card, "It even says her name on this."

She handed it to him as he turned it over. It seemed like a swipe card with numbers and a name on it. Hope Lunar. So she wasn't lying about her name.

"What do you think the device is for?" he asked.

She sighed, "I only figured out how I can charge this thing, it looked like it was running low on battery power."

He guessed she was referring to the messes of wires she had hooked up to it.

"So you haven't gotten into it yet," he questioned.

She sighed, "That's the thing. This device is written in a programming language I haven't seen before. If only I knew the passcode I wouldn't need to try to crack into it."

"Passcode?" he repeated, while looking at the device himself.

"It looks like it takes a four digit number but it'll lock out with too many attempts, I don't have a program to go around it yet," she stated in frustration while working furiously at her computer.

Pressing the only button, it lit up to a picture of a painted forest with a time and what looked like a date. The time and date were wrong and the month and day were switched but nothing odd other than that. There were a few things such as a percentage and battery symbol at that top along with other symbols with X's over them showing that they weren't functional. "Press home to unlock" came up as he pressed the button again, bringing up a keypad with "Enter Passcode" and four dots above.

What could the code be? His mother fretted over her programming as he stared at the screen. Was it really numeric? There were letters under the numbers as well. What would a person who fell from the sky put? Four digits or four letters. What did he know about her? She could have come from a different era.

Maybe "Time."

8463

Try Again.

That was stupid of him to think that would work. He sighed, maybe he would try just one more. It couldn't hurt. What else did he know about her? She came from the sky like a shooting star.

Maybe "Star."

7827

To his surprise the screen shifted to other colorful icons.

"I think I unlocked it," he said to his own disbelief.

"What?" Bulma nearly shouted snatching it from him.

Finally they could look through it. A lot of it seemed really normal but odd at the same time. Some of them seemed like entertainment programs. There were a lot of games and many things didn't work because there was no "Wifi" connection. The most interesting parts were the photos and messages. The photos were of her and family or friends, food, places, animals, items, and images. The messages got him the most, they seemed quite normal but with some terms he wasn't familiar with. The last message she received was from a contact labeled "Mom."

It read: I love you, talk to you soon.

That settled it, she definitely wasn't here to destroy anything. He then checked the calendar and gasped. The year was 2017. Over 1000 years in the future? No wonder everything about her was odd. Still, how did she know about him and his parents? Where they related somehow? Was it really common knowledge in the future? Why did she come back to this time? How did she come back to this time without a time machine? Did people in the future not have ki signatures or where they just able to hide it? He had so many questions but unfortunately they would have to wait until she woke up or rather _if_ she woke up. Her condition was iffy at best.

Why would she come here? Hopefully it was all just a mistake.

* * *

Days passed into months and there was still no sign of her waking anytime soon. There were a few occasions when her body went into a fit and her heart nearly stopped, but each time she pulled through miraculously. Something was weakening her body. They originally thought it might be an illness but as far as the doctors could tell, nothing was wrong with her. What could be causing someone to slowly deteriorate if not an illness?

It almost seemed like there was no hope for her. He didn't want to believe that. His mother was especially focused on making her well again. She definitely wouldn't give up on her. When the medical treatments didn't work, she ended up going to the girl's room just to talk to her once a day. There should have been nothing to talk about between them. They didn't know each other after all, but that didn't stop his mother from trying. She would encourage her to get better and talk about anything at all. Could she really hear anything in her coma-like state?

To top everything off, he'd been having frequent nightmares ever since she arrived. Not that he hadn't had these nightmares before but her arrival must have troubled his mind. The dreams were almost all the same; an overwhelmingly strong unknown enemy would appear, killing his mother and everyone he knew, then would destroy the Earth. All the while there was nothing he could do about it. He would often wake up sweating. Other times he would find something broken nearby or end up hurting himself somehow.

He didn't want to worry his mother so he tried to hide it as best he could. Of course knowing her, she would probably figure it out eventually.

"Trunks," Bulma addressed him as she exited the girl's room.

Lately he had found himself waiting outside B9 while his mother talked to her, just hoping that she would wake up.

"Why don't you go talk to her?" she suggested.

"What? Why me?" he questioned, surprised.

"Well you're the only one she met. Maybe she would like to hear from you," she explained.

It was weird to think he was the first and only person she met here. It's not like they had a friendly conversation.

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "I don't think so."

"Oh come on. She's not going to wake up if she only hears my voice," Bulma grabbed on to her son and pulled him into the room against his will.

She sat him in the chair next to the girl's bedside. He sat there for a few moments before it became really awkward.

"Hold her hand so she knows you are there," Bulma instructed.

"What?" he protested but his mother wasn't having any of it.

"You want her to get better don't you?" she frowned at her son.

He sighed then loosely held her hand that was by her side. He felt himself blush a little, maybe from how embarrassingly awkward the situation was.

"Talk to her," his mother encouraged.

"What should I say? I don't know her," he protested the strange situation once more.

"Just introduce yourself and maybe encourage her to wake up," she suggested with a smile.

He sighed once again. For the first time in a while he looked at the girl, actually looked at her. She seemed to be paler from the last time he saw her. She was getting abnormally skinny and was full of tubes; even the feel of her hand was cold. It was a sad sight.

"Hi," he spoke slowly, unsure of his words, "My name is Trunks, but I guess you already knew that."

What would he say to her?

"You've been out for a long time and I know my mom has been talking to you a lot," he said as he glanced up at Bulma.

She only smiled and made a motion for him to continue.

"Anyway, your name is Hope right? I don't know who you are but I would like to get to know you," he said but realized that it sounded kind of forward.

"I mean, _we_ would like to get to know you," he corrected, "so hang in there and wake up soon."

Looking at her face again it suddenly reminded him of those who were dying during the android attacks. It became very vivid. There was a girl then. He found her in the ruins of a city that was freshly attacked. Her eyes open in terror. What was the last horror she saw before her death? He had closed her eyes. It looked like she could have only been sleeping then.

He remembered the rage he felt for those mechanic beasts. A painful shock shot up his arm and a sudden surge of energy welled up inside him.

"Trunks!" he heard his mother's voice as he was brought back to the room.

He didn't notice that he was breathing heavy and his hand had clamped down on the girl's fingers. He immediately released her when he discovered what he was doing. Strangely enough the pain still lingered in his arm; emanating from where he held her hand. That spike in energy remained in his body. It was different from his normal ki. It felt foreign and powerful.

In his confusion he hardly noticed that Bulma was checking on the girl's hand and condition. Surprisingly the girl had started moving. She was trying to pull at the tubes with a weak, half-awake effort. The nurse was called and in the chaos he was pushed out of the room.

What had happened? Was she alright? Was she waking up? He looked at his hand where the electric pain still pulsed. Did he hurt her?

He had stayed around for a while to find out what was happening. Finally his mother came out looking worried.

"Is she alright?" he asked impatiently.

"She's fine," Bulma answered seriously, "She seems to have stabilized for now and she doesn't seem to be injured badly."

"Good," he responded, not able to look at her.

He knew the last thing she said was referring to the girl's hand.

"Trunks," she said softly, "What happened? It looked like you were somewhere else."

"I don't know," he admitted, "Sometimes I just remember things from . . . back then."

"Sometimes?" she raised her tone slightly, "How long has this been going on?"

He dared to look at her face that was now filled with dreadful worry.

"I don't know," he admitted again, "It's been a while, but it's only lately that it's been happening lot more."

"Trunks," she almost whispered, putting her hands on his shoulders, "Maybe this whole ordeal with Hope has been stressing you out. Everything is going to be fine. And please tell me if this sort of thing happens again, alright?"

Staring into her concerned eyes he instantly felt bad for hiding it.

He nodded, "Yeah, I will."

She then hugged him and he hugged back. Would everything really be alright?

* * *

 **Notes:** I honestly have to say that I really like writing from Trunks' point of view. I should do it more often. I also love doing the contrast of thoughts like how Hope had thought he was a good actor at first and then he thought she was a good actor; both were skeptical of each other.

Also, my notes are going to get longer as the story progresses but they answer some questions you may have about the chapter and add some information that I can't directly put in each chapter.


	3. Unbelievable

**Notes:** I wasn't sure if I would make Trunks' point of view for this chapter, but I found that there wasn't that much material to make a separate chapter and I didn't want to put too many small thoughts in between so I scraped it all together. If you really want to know what he is thinking, as I do keep that in mind while writing, then please tell me. I can always write it in or make it an extra.

* * *

 **3\. Unbelievable**

* * *

All I remember is pain and darkness. I must have been drifting in and out of consciousness for who knows how long. I had vague memories of people touching me and voices, some male and some female. I don't even remember what they were saying. Pain was the only thing that let me know I was still alive and there was a lot of it.

Why was I like this? What did I do to deserve this? If I died maybe the pain would go away. No, I didn't want to die. Maybe just the will to live was the only thing keeping me alive.

The only time I found relief was when there was a sudden pain in my arm that seem to drown away the rest of the pain in my body. I finally felt more aware. Was I in a bed? What were these things on me? There was a lot of noise. Were there people in the room? Before I could grasp the situation I had drifted off again.

One day I was finally conscious enough to sit up, with some difficulty that is. I felt so weak and dazed. I could hardly comprehend where I was. There were tubes and everything on me. Was I at a hospital? This seemed to be confirmed when a nurse walked in.

"You're awake," she stated with surprise.

She was a tall blonde woman with blue eyes. She had a short bobbed haircut and seemed friendly enough when she checked on me and warned me not to move so much. She asked how I was but I was a little too out of it to think of how I actually felt. For what seemed like forever, I was in a lot of pain but now that I wasn't. It was a strange feeling.

Once she was sure I was okay she left for a while to do something. I didn't really ask her where she was going. Why was sitting up so hard? I looked at the needle in my arm and sighed. The nurse didn't want to take it out. I suppose I wasn't fully better yet.

Examining myself I noticed that I had lost some weight. I was way too skinny now; no wonder I felt so weak. I didn't have a mirror but I was sure I looked sick, especially in these hospital clothes they put me in.

When she came back another woman was with her: a blue haired woman.

"How are you? Your name is Hope isn't it?" the woman questioned.

She seemed friendly, kind of like the motherly type.

"Yeah, but how do you know my name?" I asked curiously.

She laughed a little, "Oh that's right, you only met my son. My name is Bulma but I think you already knew that."

"Huh?" What was she talking about?

Wait, Bulma? She had blue hair and she did kind of look like her, but why? I met her son? Did she mean that Trunks cosplayer? Was I just going crazy?

"You're . . . Bulma?" is all I could say.

"Yes," she smiled, "Your condition has been bad for a long time so take it easy for a while."

She seemed concerned when trying to comfort me in my predicament.

"Where am I?" I questioned, wanting to hear what she would say.

"You're at Capsule Corp. headquarters. You've been well taken care of here so you don't have to worry," she reassured me.

Maybe she saw how distressed I was. Why were these people doing this? Why did they pretend to be Dragon Ball Z characters? I must be crazy or maybe I died. Maybe I was still asleep and this was all a strange fever dream.

"Thank you," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"It's no problem," Bulma brushed off the gratitude but smiled even wider, "You must have had quite a journey coming here so it's the least we could do."

"Journey?" I repeated stupidly.

She only placed a hand on mine, "Don't worry, you don't have to explain anything about it now. We'll talk later when you're feeling better."

She then got up and made her way over to the door and before leaving said, "Get well soon, okay?"

The nurse then checked over a few more things, asked how I was feeling, and advised me to rest for now. She assured me that when I got my strength back I could get out of bed. She then left to give me some time alone.

When I finally looked around again, I could see it; I was in the same room I woke up in before, only it looked more like a hospital room now. How long had I been here? What was "here" exactly? It couldn't be Capsule Corp. headquarters; that place didn't exist. Maybe my phone could tell me where I was, although the last time it didn't have any signal.

Searching the bed stand near me, I couldn't find my phone or my card. They must have moved it somewhere. I sighed deeply, feeling even more tired than before. I had nothing to do. Laying back down all I could do now was rest. I needed to get better soon and get out of here.

* * *

Days had gone by and the needles came out. I wondered if I would scar from having them in so long. Bulma had visited a few more times where she explained that I had been there a few months. I admit that I was shocked at first. How could it have been that long? Still, I didn't know if I could trust this person. I just played along for now; I just wanted to get out of this place and back home.

She also told me that she had my phone and that she had never seen anything like it before. Where was I that people didn't know about smartphones? It also concerned me that she said she would give the phone back when I was able to walk around again. I didn't want to ask too much about it, these people were crazy after all.

When I was finally able to get out of bed, Bulma had offered me new clothes because my old ones were a bit torn. She had given me my old clothes as well and indeed they were a little torn, but it looked like they were washed. I ended up putting on my old clothes; they weren't torn badly and I just felt weird taking clothes from someone I hardly knew. Strangely enough, I had to go to a separate hall bathroom to shower and clean myself up. The nurse was staying close by in case I needed help and truthfully it was weird to be standing again. My legs felt like jelly and normal activities were more tiring than they should be. I just wanted to get out of here so I did my best to show I was alright enough to do normal activities.

While drying my hair I couldn't help but wonder what happened to my hand. Out of all the pain that had left me, there was a pain in my hand that remained. Truthfully it wasn't that bad but now that it was the only thing left, it's all I could concentrate on. The nurse kept it wrapped and said that I should be careful when moving it but it was at the tail end of healing. She even made a note to tell me that she was surprised that it healed as fast as it did. In fact, she said that I had gotten better really quickly in the past week or so. I guess it was sort of a miraculous recovery.

Well at least I was glad to be getting out of here. This dream was becoming way too real. Walking out of the bathroom, the nurse had been waiting for me. She asked how I was and although I was kind of tired, I lied and said I was fine. I just wanted to leave. She told me to follow her so I walked through the round hallways while tailing behind her. I couldn't believe it but this whole building was round and even as I passed by windows, the buildings I could see in the distance were round as well. Where the hell was I?

It was all starting to scare me a little. My heart was beating faster. I was kind of nervous to find out where I was exactly. The nurse had knocked and opened a door to reveal a big living room and kitchen area where the Bulma I met sat at a table and the Trunks I met before was standing. They looked like they were just talking about something before we entered.

Bulma rose from her seat and greeted us while Trunks seemed serious. She thanked the nurse and dismissed her, then as the door closed I felt the tension in the room.

I was glad that Bulma still wore that gentle smile when greeting me, "I'm glad you're feeling better. Did the clothes I gave you not fit?"

"No, I just feel more comfortable in my own clothes," I answered sheepishly.

"I see," she said and guided me over to the table, "Come, sit down."

She sat me in a chair where I noticed that my phone was placed on the table along with my card. She sat down, picked them up, and gave them to me.

"I believe these are yours," she offered with that same smile.

"Yes, thank you," I replied while taking them from her.

They didn't seem like they had done anything to it. When I pressed the button it looked like it had been charged. I looked up at them again and this time even Bulma seemed serious. It was different from the kind and happy face I was used to seeing when she talked to me. I was getting nervous and I had to be sweating. Just when I had taken a shower too. They definitely wouldn't have brought me in here if they didn't want to talk about something.

Bulma was surprisingly casual when she finally said something, "So, what brings you to our time?"

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly.

It seemed like I never knew what they were talking about.

She became more serious, "I'm sorry that we looked through your phone, but we know you aren't from this time. You seem to be from the future, correct?"

I didn't even know how to answer this. Maybe my nerves had gotten to me and stopped my brain from functioning.

I must have looked frightened because Bulma tried to reassure me, "Don't worry, my son has been through time too. I'm just wondering how you got here without a vehicle or why you came to this time specifically."

I needed to get it together, "Look, I'm not from another time. All of this has been really confusing and I just want to go home. I mean, why are you pretending to be Dragon Ball Z characters? Am I on a show or something?"

They both wore matching confused expressions.

"Dragon Ball Z characters?" Bulma repeated.

"Look, we just want to know who you are. Why are you here and how do you know about us?" Trunks said suddenly.

He must have been holding those questions in this whole time because he seemed impatient. This was getting us nowhere. I had to make them call their bluff before they totally pulled me in.

"Fine, if you want me to answer then at least prove who you are. If this is Capsule Corp. then show me a capsule and how it works," there was no way they could pull this out of their asses.

Bulma didn't even hesitate, "Well if that's all you need."

She searched on her person and pulled out a small pocket-sized case and opened it, "Hmm no, that would be too big. Maybe this one."

She pulled out what indeed looked like a capsule and got up from the table, "Now watch closely."

She pressed the trigger and threw it. A mini refrigerator appear from the smoke it gave off. Well that was a neat trick. They didn't seem to mind when I got out of my seat and examined it. I even opened it up and there were a few things inside: some cans of something called Hetap and Jetap or whatever but it wasn't full.

"Looks like I need to stock it again," she commented as I was examining one of the cans.

I put the can back and closed it, "So can you put it away too?"

"Yes, of course. Why don't you try it? Just press the button on the side," she said while pointing to the big yellow button.

I pressed it and "poof," all that was left was a capsule. Even seeing it and picking up the capsule, my mind was still skeptical. It could all be illusions, it had to be.

"Do you not have capsules where you come from?" Bulma questioned when she saw how I examined the small object.

"No," I answered without thinking.

"I see. So is that all you needed?" Bulma questioned, holding out her hand for the capsule.

I gave it to her but was trying to find out what else I could catch their lie on, "There's one more thing."

I then turned my gaze to Trunks, "If you're part Saiyan, can you show me a Super Saiyan?"

He looked taken aback at first then was serious. He was probably thinking a way to get out of it because there was no way they could fake this on the spot.

He sighed, "Fine but we'll need to go outside."

"Sure," I said quickly.

We had gone down some stairs and into what looked more like a business portion of the building. I didn't realize how big this place was. There were so many rooms and even an atrium. I couldn't keep track of it all. Bulma stayed beside me as we followed Trunks out of the building and to an empty area. I looked around as we walked and found that all the buildings were domes or cylindrical shaped.

Finally he stopped when we were far enough. Bulma and I stood some distance away as he faced us.

"Alright," he said, indicating that he was ready.

At first I wasn't really expecting anything, but the wind picked up. It was like the wind was coming from him. His hair rose up with the wind and in nearly and instant it stuck up and became blonde. His blue eyes became a turquoise and a yellow glow was emanating off of him. The wind constantly blew but was more concentrated and gentle.

I couldn't believe it or even comprehend what I was seeing. This had to be a trick. I walked up to him much to his surprise as he took a step back.

"Hey, watch it," he said quickly as the glow faded and the wind stopped, leaving him with blonde hair and turquoise eyes.

I don't know what I was trying to do, but I just had to prove them wrong. This couldn't be real. It just couldn't be. I reached out with my good hand and felt his hair as he flinched. It felt like normal hair. He had suddenly changed back as I noticed hair fade into lavender and fall through my fingers. This was . . . real.

My eyes drifted from his hair to his face as I noticed him blushing a little. I retracted my hand quickly and turned away, feeling awkward. The buildings and everything in front of me all made sense now. This was unbelievable.

* * *

We had went back inside as I told them I would explain there. I just needed a glass of water or something. When I looked around now, I couldn't help but feel a new sense of awe. This was all too much to take in. I couldn't even look in Trunks' direction. I had just embarrassed the both of us.

Sitting at the table again with my water, I sighed. What would I say to them? Where do I start? They were waiting for me to explain.

"I'm . . . not from another time. I mean, I don't think so. I can't be," I told them, still unsure of what I was saying.

"What do you mean?" Bulma asked with interest.

How do I explain this? Maybe they'll think I'm crazy now.

"I'm from a different dimension, another Earth that exists somewhere out there. I'm not exactly sure, but the last thing I remember before I woke up here was falling into darkness after leaving my apartment and suddenly I was here," I explained while trying to see if I could remember anything else.

They took this information in stride.

"So how do you know who we are? Do we exist in your dimension?" Trunks asked.

I wonder if he really believed me or was just testing me.

"No, you don't. Well, you do in the form of a . . . story. You're characters in a book. Honestly, it has me wondering if every story I heard actually exists somewhere," I couldn't look at them when saying this.

"We're characters in a book? That's had to believe," Bulma commented crossing her arms skeptically.

"But it's true," I knew this was hard to believe, I wouldn't believe it myself, "It's the only reason I know of anything in this world. I mean, this is the future timeline right? You mentioned the time machine. Ask me about the events you changed in the past. No one should know about that, right?"

Trunks thought about it for a moment. Maybe he didn't believe me.

"Alright, what did I go into the past to change?" he asked.

I was glad I'd be able to explain, "You went into the past to stop the Androids from wreaking havoc by giving Goku and antidote for a heart virus. I guess Bulma thought that if Goku were alive then things would be different. You even defeated Frieza and his father King Cold before Goku arrived back on the planet. Of course you traveled to a time where you weren't even born yet so it was a little awkward when you met everyone."

That look on his face, I could tell he was starting to really believe me.

"So what year is it now? Did you defeat Cell already?" I asked eagerly.

"That was five years ago. It's 793," he answered seriously.

"Five years ago huh?" I responded softly.

So that meant he was . . . 27? One year older than me. Jeez, it was hard to think of him as any other age than 17 but that was ten years ago to him. Wait, what year did the Supreme Kai show up and train him?

"Did you meet with the Supreme Kai yet?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Supreme Kai?" he questioned.

So he hadn't shown up yet. Would he show up? It felt like anything could happen at this point. Oh no, if the events of Dragon Ball Super happen then this place would become and endless void. Oh my goodness, am I going to die in this world? I have to warn them.

"Listen," I tried not to sound panicked, "maybe it's a good thing that I'm here. If things happen as they do in the story in my world then there is an extremely powerful enemy that will show up in a few years."

"What?!" Trunks exclaimed.

I went on to explain the events that I knew about Goku Black. I didn't want to go into too much detail because I told them that I didn't know if things would change now that I was here. The time frames given from my world were also kind of vague. I also didn't say anything about Mai. If I said something then maybe it wouldn't happen. Love is weird that way; it would have to happen naturally. Not even dragon balls grant love requests for a reason.

Besides the bad news, Trunks and Bulma really seemed interested in what was happening in the other timeline. Trunks was interested in hearing that he was friends with Goku's other son, Goten. Bulma seemed a mix of happy and sad when hearing of her life with Vegeta and the fact that they had a daughter. Trunks was also stunned that Krillin would marry Android 18. I guess things really were different between the timelines.

"So is there any way we can prevent this 'Goku Black' from destroying our world?" Bulma asked.

"There are a few ways," I answered, "The easiest route would be to make sure the Supreme Kai doesn't die. His death gave Black free reign to do what he wanted in this timeline. If it doesn't happen then he'll seek a different timeline. Most likely this timeline had already split since I arrived here. I mean, I don't exist normally in this dimension."

"So we can kill two birds with one stone if I kill Dabura and Babidi while making sure Shin lives," Trunks said thoughtfully.

I nodded, "You can defeat Dabura but only after going Super Saiyan 2 after the death of Kibito and Shin being mortally wounded. Although, anticipating Dabura is already an advantage. Even Shin didn't know Debura would be under Babidi's control."

"Right," Trunks said almost to himself.

I could see he had his fists clenched.

"I mean, even if the same things happen, there are a lot of safeguards we can put in place. Such as gathering fuel for the time machine now so it doesn't have to be done later and possibly finding New Namek. I honestly think that would be the best option. Although I know that is easier said than done," I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head.

"Gathering the fuel shouldn't be much of a problem," Bulma chimed, "It may take a few months."

"Wow, really? It took a whole year to get half in the future," I commented surprised.

She smiled trying to hide her worried eyes, "I suppose when the world is in chaos it would be hard to gather the fuel but now it wouldn't be a problem."

I sighed, feeling a bit more relieved. At least that would be in place so it wouldn't take so long later on, that is, if Shin dies.

"As far as New Namek goes I think you are right that it is easier said than done. It may be across the whole galaxy. Even if we found it, it would take years to get there," she expressed her concern.

"I see," I said, disheartened.

If they would just use the dragon balls from Namek then they could make a few useful wishes. Not to mention that maybe Dende would help revive the dragon balls here. I guess it was all just wishful thinking.

"Don't worry, with this information we are much better off than we were before and we can better prepare for it," Bulma said with some enthusiasm.

Trunks nodded in agreement.

I smiled sadly, "Right."

It still bothered me that I couldn't do more.

"Why don't you tell us a little about your world?" Bulma asked.

I wondered if she was trying to change the subject or was just purely curious. Either way, I explained what my world was like. I went over some of the technology the events going on and what life was like in general. I also explained a little about myself and how I had moved away from my family recently.

"I mean, I know I said I was going to move away and be on my own for a while but I didn't think I would move _this_ far away," I joked, but it didn't stop me from frowning at the thought.

Would I be able to go back home? Why would I want to right? I was in the DBZ world and that was cool enough, but it was dangerous here. I also missed my family and the internet. Man, I missed the internet. It didn't seem like they had the same thing here. Well it was similar but it seemed like it was technically behind in advancement than the one back home. Strangely enough technology was weird because we didn't have capsules but we had an array of other inventions not thought of here.

"I bet you miss your home," Bulma commented.

Damn, she could read me like a book couldn't she?

"Yeah, a little," I admitted.

She then addressed her son, "Trunks, why don't you take her out to the crater you found her in tomorrow. Maybe you can find some clues as to how she arrived here."

"Ah, sure," he agreed, but shyly rubbed the back of his head.

We had been talking all day and I didn't even noticed that it was getting dark outside.

"Thank you," I was grateful for everything she had done for me since I got here.

Honestly, they both had done a lot for me.

"No problem, it's the least we can do for the kind of information you have given us," Bulma smiled, "Now why don't we find a room for you to stay in for the time being."

She had gotten up out of her chair and gave off an optimistic vibe.

"Don't I already have a room?" I pointed out but she just shook her head.

"No, no, that won't do. You need something more livable than an old lab room now that you're up and about," she stated while grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the door, "Come on, don't be shy."

Before being gently dragged out of the room I had glanced over at Trunks and I swear he had glanced back at me before I was out of sight. Bulma had taken me to a bigger room that indeed looked more livable. The only thing that made it uncomfortable was that it was bigger than my apartment. I guess I really did have a small apartment though.

She showed me around the room, "This used to be one of my old rooms. You'll have your own bathroom and television in here and it's a lot closer to our rooms as well in case you need anything."

"Thank you so much, but you don't really need to do this for me," I said, feeling a little awkward that I was in her old room.

"Nonsense, you might as well feel comfortable while you are with us," she brushed off, "Why don't you get settled in while I get dinner ready."

"Sure," I agreed while she let me be in the new room.

I tried to familiarize myself with the space so I didn't feel so weird. Not knowing what else to do I sat on the end of the bed and turned on the television. It looked like they still had the standard screens and VHS's. I hadn't seen stuff like this since I was a kid. Jeez that made me feel old.

I flipped through the channels and found the news. Normally I didn't watch any television back home but this new world made everything interesting. It looked like the restoration went along smoothly here. Man, I was getting kind of hungry. I didn't eat too much this morning when I was still in my other room.

I didn't know how long I was there but I heard a knock at the door. Was it a knock or did I just imagine it? There was a knock again. I turned off the TV and opened the door. Much to my surprise, Trunks was standing there. I guess I shouldn't have really been surprised but I just wasn't expecting him to knock at my new bedroom door.

"Hey," he said and looked like he was in an awkward position as well, "My mom wanted me to come and get you. She wanted us all to have dinner together."

"Oh, okay," I said and exited the room, closing the door behind me.

He seemed very shy when he said, "This way."

I followed him and tried to at least make this less awkward, "This place is so big, I probably would get lost if I weren't following you."

He glance back at me, "I guess it would be confusing for newcomers. I could make a map for you if you'd like."

"Sure, that would be helpful," I smiled.

"Alright," he said with a slight smile as well.

I suppose this might have broken a little of the tension. When we made it to the dining area I noticed that there was a lot of food. Well maybe it was just a lot of food for me. When we sat down I had a bowl of rice and took some chicken and vegetables. I wasn't sure how much I would be able to eat. Bulma only encouraged me to take as much as I wanted.

"So why don't you tell us a little more about the books that tell you about our world," she suggested when I was close to done eating, "What were they like, as books that is?"

"Oh well," I began, "They were mostly about Goku. They were actually called Dragon Ball."

"Really?" she said while both of them seemed interested.

"Yeah, in fact, the series of books started out with Goku as a kid and started around the time you met him Bulma," I explained, "They follow him and all his struggles to save the planet into adulthood."

I continued to explain how the books were like comics and later became a TV show for children and young adults at some point.

"It makes sense that Goku would have books written about him," Bulma commented fondly.

"Yeah," I smiled, "but I suppose that's why I don't know too many precise details about this timeline since Goku doesn't exist in it anymore."

This seemed to kill to mood.

I have to save the moment from silence, "You two were very popular characters. I know a lot of boys that really liked Bulma."

"Oh?" she seemed interested again.

"You had a lot of fan boys," I continued.

"What do you mean _had_?" she pouted.

"Ah well," I didn't think of the wording when I said that, "I just don't know now since I used to watch the series more when I was a kid."

"I see, so the story has been in your world for a while?" she questioned.

"Yeah it was written before I was born," I explained.

She smiled a little deviously, "So does my son have many fans?"

He choked on his food with an embarrassed expression.

Oh this should be good, "Yeah, he had a lot of fan girls and with the new series I'm sure he still has a ton."

He was still coughing as his mother talked to him, "Hear that Trunks, it seems there are a lot of girls that think you are handsome in her world."

"Yeah, I heard," he said, recovering from the coughing fit.

I wasn't sure if his face was red from choking or embarrassment.

"What about you?" Bulma asked suddenly.

"Hmm? What about me?" I was lost in the question.

"What do you think of my son?" she smiled mischievously again, "You're a fan of the series as well right? What did you think of him when reading or watching him?"

Dammit, I didn't think this would come back to me.

I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights, "I, ah, well, he's pretty cool."

I couldn't even look in his direction. He probably felt as weird as I did in this situation.

He got up suddenly and picked up some dishes, "I'm going to take these to the kitchen."

Yeah, this was really weird. Why did everything have to be awkward when were together?

* * *

The next day at breakfast wasn't bad. We only talked about going to the crater that morning which we were going to do soon after eating. Trunks gave me a map of the building and a card to access certain rooms. I had tried to follow the map to go back to my room while he went off to do a few things first. I noticed on the map that the bottom floor had some labs and work areas besides the atrium and the second floor was mostly residential. My room was actually close to Bulma's and Trunks' rooms; they were a little down the hall. I also noticed that he marked rooms I can go into and ones that I can't. I suppose they were rooms that my card could access if need be and one of those rooms was the basement lab where Bulma worked most of the time. He had actually wrote that on the map, that I would find her down there if she wasn't around.

I was flattered that they trusted me enough as to give me access to so many places. I suppose the only places I wasn't allowed in were labs for workers. A few hours later Trunks had come to get me and we were out in the back yard. I actually didn't even think about the fact that we might fly over there until we were outside.

"We're going to fly?" I questioned even though I knew the answer.

"Yeah, it's the quickest way to get there," he stated in a matter of fact way.

He crouched down, "Come on."

He wanted me to climb on his back. I really needed to try not to think anything weird about it. I put my arms over his shoulders as he grasped my legs.

"Hold on tight," he warned before taking off.

I couldn't help but scream as he did so, making me tighten my grip on him.

"Don't worry, I won't drop you! Just hold on and it won't be long!" he yelled over the wind whipping past us.

Somehow the wind died down almost immediately into a breeze, allowing me to open my eyes. It looked like there was energy surrounding us although Trunks still looked normal.

"That's a lot better right?" he asked without having to yell.

"Y-yeah," I answered.

So this is how they flew without anything to protect their eyes and face; their energy cut through the air. He was right that it didn't take long to get there. From above, the crater didn't look that big but when we landed, it overwhelmed me by the size of it.

"So this is where I fell . . . from the sky?" I scanned the area below. How could that be?

"It is," he answered, searching around as well, "I don't know if coming here will help. I had examined the whole area but I haven't found anything. Maybe you'll find something I couldn't."

I think he was just trying to be encouraging. What could I find that he couldn't? I walked around but the more I searched the more astonished I became. This was where I landed? How bizarre. At the center of the bowl I couldn't find anything but rubble. Looking up at the sky, I couldn't see anything odd. How did I get here or even survive that kind of crash? I wonder if I would ever know or find a way home.

"So this place would become an empty void," Trunks said while staring up at the sky.

I didn't know if he was talking to me or not so I didn't answer. I guess that kind of information would bother him.

"For what it's worth," he continued then turned his attention toward me, "I'm glad that you could come here to warn us. I'll do everything I can to help you get back home."

"Thank you," I said.

He was really going to make me blush at this point so I adverted my eyes.

"So did you find anything?" he questioned causally.

"No," I answered flatly.

"Ready to go back then?" he asked while walking up to me.

I nodded as he gave me his back. I climbed on him and we took off. I had noticed that his hair smelled nice. No, I didn't want to get into those thoughts. This was stupid. I didn't belong here after all.

* * *

 **Notes:** So now things start to take off. I didn't want to explain everything because people who know the series don't need that kind of information to be repeated. There is mystery and a long way to answers. Bulma had always caught me as a go with the flow type of person. I mean, she had been in a lot of different dangerous situations before and after building a time machine and all, I think she is open to anything.


	4. Stay

**Notes:** This chapter took a while to write but that could be because it is so long. I really didn't know if I wanted to make two short chapters or not but I ended up sort of condensing it all into this chapter. There are so many ideas of normal every day events that I couldn't just fit it all into this chapter. It's not often a problem that I have too much to write and too many ideas. Still, I like to think I kept important events in this chapter. I also changed the point of view at times but it's only to show small events that are important and unknown to the main character. Honestly I could have cut this chapter down more but I liked the events that happened in it. I was almost going to name this chapter "Normal Days" but I feel this new title summarizes it better. It's really more of an intermediate for events to come.

* * *

 **4\. Stay**

* * *

Life had become normal here. Trunks had gone off to train more now that he knew about the impending threat and Bulma spent most of her time working in the lab so I was, for the most part, left alone. I spent my days wondering around while they were gone and eventually ended up in the atrium. There were so many types of animals there and even dinosaurs too. Surprisingly they were all really gentle.

I kind of took it upon myself to take care of them. It gave me some kind of purpose in this world. Bulma didn't seem to mind that I was taking care of the pets they had. She told me that her parents had taken in a lot of animals but many of them left or died during the Android attack. Astonishingly enough, the many pets that were here were the "few" that survived that attack.

Everything wasn't all great though. I thought that maybe being in another world and seeing these amazing things would help, but that empty feeling came back every once and a while. I would sometimes find myself staring at the sky again without a thought as to how long I was there. Why was I like this? I wanted to keep busy. Anything to keep the feeling of nothing at bay.

"Mi-ah," a black cat with big eyes softly meowed at me.

I hadn't seen this cat around before, "Hello kitty."

He meowed again and sat there. He looked weird with those big eyes, still very cute though. I held my hand out to him and he sniffed it before reluctantly climbing up my arm then onto my shoulder where he settled for good. I pet him and he licked me. What a weird friendly cat.

I guess he became my buddy. I would put him down every once and a while but he would find a way to climb back on me and become my shawl. He was really docile so after a while I just let him do as he wanted.

Every once and while I would go down to the basement lab and find Bulma. Recently she had been working on the time machine to make sure it would work when or if they needed it. I walked around the lab but promised I wouldn't touch anything. I was just curious about the technology here. I wasn't completely useless as I would hand her things that she asked for occasionally.

She seemed surprised that Scratch liked me so much. I guess that was the name of the cat. Now that I thought about it, there was a black cat that hung around her father a lot. So this was that cat huh? Apparently Scratch didn't come out much after all that had happened. For some reason, he wanted to hang out with me. He truly was a weird cat, although cats were weird in general.

One day, I came across a small collection of books in her lab. I didn't think there was any harm in looking at them as long as I put them back. They seemed like science fiction novels mixed with technical books. There were two books out of the bunch that really caught my eye: World War I and World War II. It was strange because in my world there were horrible wars by the same names. I wondered what the books were like here.

I opened the first one and sure enough it was a science fiction novel by some person named H.G. Wells. It could have been a penname for all I know. It kind of sounded familiar. I opened them and started to read and as I kept reading it started to scare me. My hands were shaking. These books . . . were about my world and about the world wars. What did this mean?

"Bulma!" I ran up to her in a panic with the books in my arms.

I couldn't hide how I was feeling.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned while parting from her work.

"What are these?" I questioned holding them out.

"Those are some of my father's books," she answered but was worried, "What happened?"

I really must have looked scared.

I tried to calm myself, "Please tell me more about these books and the person who wrote them."

She half-frowned but fulfilled my request, "I don't know too much about the author but I do remember that there was going to be a sequel. Unfortunately he died before he could write it. The books themselves were very popular."

A sequel? These were horrible events, what other wars were planned for my world?

"Are you alright?" she asked while holding my shoulders and looking me in the eyes, "They're just books so don't let them bother you."

They're just books. That's how people felt about this world right. Was even my world just a story?

"Bulma," I said slowly, "these books are about my world. I'm sure of it."

"What?" she nearly exclaimed.

"These events happened before I was born but everything is the same," I could hardly comprehend all of this.

Bulma had done what she could to calm me down but my whole perception of reality was already shaken. What horrors had been planned for my own world? Would they pass even if they weren't written? Where all stories just another reality? I didn't exist yet in these stories yet I still existed now. Was I planned in the sequel? Come to think of it, nobody had written about this time in DBZ but it still existed. Even if something wasn't written, did it still exist?

This was all hurting my head. I felt like I was learning the truth of the universe but was just too stupid to grasp it. What the fuck did it all mean? I needed time to be alone so I did my best to act normal as I dismissed myself and went to my room. There it was: the feeling of nothing. I was lying down on the bed and as I looked at things I felt nothing. Nothing felt like it was there. Was everything I saw fake? I suppose I would feel scared if I felt anything. Only there was nothing. Was I drifting away again as I stared out the window from the bed?

"Mi-ah," Scratch jumped up on me.

He stared at me with those big eyes.

"Are you real Scratch?"

He tilted his head and meowed before licking my hand. I petted him without a thought.

I don't know how long I was there until I could think again and sat up. Scratch jumped on my shoulder. I looked outside and wondered when it had become night. Jeez, I had to get up or something. I opened the door and went out into the hall only to run into Trunks. I guess he had been passing by. His hair was still kind of wet. Did he take a shower or something? It was kind of strange to see him since I hadn't for weeks other than at meals. There wasn't really much to say while eating. We only ate together half the time anyway.

"Hi," I greeted awkwardly.

"Hey," he greeted back but noticed the cat, "Is that Scratch?"

"I guess, that's what your mom called him too," I answered then looked at the wide eyed cat.

"Where have you been?" he addressed the cat while petting him on the head.

Since Scratch was on my shoulder it was a unique angle to view this by. If his eyes weren't focused on the cat it would have almost looked like he was reaching out to me from my perspective. With that slight smile on his face he really looked quite handsome. I shouldn't kid myself. It'll only hurt if I do.

Scratch meowed loudly then jumped off my shoulder and ran down the hall.

"Wow, rejected," I commented.

Indeed he did look rejected as he rubbed the back of his head with a sour expression, "Yeah, well I heard that he didn't really like anyone as much as my grandpa. At least, he seems to like you."

"Yeah, I guess. Cats are just strange like that," I responded as an uncomfortable silence followed.

He was staring at me.

"I'm just going to go," I said, wanting to get out of the situation.

Just as I turned he spoke again, "My mom told me about the books. The ones you say are about your world."

I turned back as he tried to find the words, "I, ah, umm. I never read them myself but don't let it get to you. I mean, I'm from a book too right?"

Was he trying to cheer me up or something? Did I look bothered?

"Yeah, I guess," I answered while smiling a little, "Except I'm not a main character with super cool powers like you."

Dammit, what the hell was I saying?

He blushed a little and adverted his eyes, "Is that what people from your world really think of me?"

"I suppose," I said awkwardly, "Anyway, see you."

I just needed to get out of there and fast. It shouldn't matter that I left suddenly like that, right?

* * *

Another week passed without seeing much of anyone. I was out on the balcony looking out at the setting sun. It was fall now so the breeze was cold and the trees were beginning to hibernate. It was strange to think of this place as having seasons, although I was assured that it didn't really snow here. I suppose because of that everything looked nearly the same no matter the season.

I heard the door slide open, then a male voice, "Hey."

I turned to see Trunks there.

He looked uncomfortable when commenting, "It's kind of cold out."

"Yeah, a little," I responded and looked back out at the sky.

He came up and stared at the sky with me. Somehow I got the feeling that he didn't want to be here.

"So, where's Scratch?" he questioned.

"He doesn't like the cold so he leaves when I go outside," I told him.

He just nodded. Was he trying to make small talk? What for? Well this was the perfect time to ask him about stuff that had been bothering me.

"By the way, do you still use your sword?" I asked curiously.

He was caught off guard by the question, "Yes, I do. You saw me with it, haven't you? When I left for training last week I had it with me when I passed you in hall. Although, you looked kind of out of it."

"Oh," I didn't even remember that, "Well I was just wondering because I thought that it was chipped when you were fighting the Androids in the past."

"That's true, but I had it reforged about," he thought for a moment, "six years ago."

"Really? Where did you get the sword in the first place?" I questioned; I never knew it was reforged.

"What? I thought you knew," he said, surprised.

I half-frowned at him, "I don't know everything. I'm still human after all."

"Yeah," he said almost as if he was thinking of something again, "It was given the sword by a friend when I was a kid."

"Don't tell me it was Tapion," I joked but he didn't think it was funny.

"I thought you said you didn't know," he accused.

He actually got it from Tapion, but how?

"I didn't know. I mean, that's how your other timeline counterpart acquired it but I didn't know about this one," I defended.

"I see," he said almost sadly in thought again.

"If I may ask, how did you meet Tapion in this timeline?" I really wanted to know.

"Well it was about eight at the time when the Androids had somehow released the seal," He began.

Honestly as he explained I couldn't believe it. Why didn't they cover it in the series? Well I suppose it was actually rather short and anti-climactic compared the rest of the series. So he had helped out Tapion and was given a sword. That was the gist of it.

"So um, this may seem like a weird question but why do you guys have a moon?" I asked while pointing to the round ghost in the daylight sky.

He looked at me like it was indeed a weird question, "We just do. Doesn't the Earth you came from have a moon?"

I felt a little embarrassed from asking, "Well yes, I mean, I thought it was destroyed in this world at some point."

He shrugged, "I don't know. It's always been there as far as I remember."

Well when the hell did the moon get wished back or whatever?

"So another question: if you spent somewhere around two years in the hyperbolic time chamber, does that make you 29 instead of 27?" I asked curiously.

"I guess," he seemed put off by the question.

"Okay just one more," I told him, "You can turn Super Saiyan in the house so why did we have to go outside when you showed me?"

He was more comfortable with this one, "Well I had broken a few things before so I promised mom I would only change outside from then on."

We were left in silence for a while because I couldn't think of anything else. I could tell he wanted to say something but I didn't have a clue what it was.

"So do you find this place boring?" he asked, not looking at me.

"No, not really," I answered.

What was he trying to get at?

"But it doesn't live up to your expectations right?" he almost accused with a serious tone, "Not like the exciting stories of Goku's adventures."

Did he think I wanted action and adventure all the time or something?

"Well I admit that things are kind of boring compared to adventures in books, but that's not a bad thing. It means that it's peaceful. Isn't that what you fight for, so people can live out their lives peacefully? I mean, there's always something fun to do. Entertainment isn't that hard to come by," I said but it looked like he wasn't expecting this answer.

"Yeah," he responded while looking down.

I swear I could see a smile on his face.

"Speaking of entertainment, do you want to go out sometime?" realizing immediately how it sounded he rephrased, "I mean, get out of Capsule Corp. grounds. I thought you might be a little bored sticking around here all the time."

"Bulma put you up to this didn't she?" I guessed.

It seemed like something she would do.

"So you figured her out already, huh?" he said, still looking embarrassed.

So that's what was going on.

"Well she does seem like a typical meddlesome mother. Do I really look bored or something?" I asked with a sigh.

"I think she used the term 'listless,' but you do seem a little out of it at times," he answered with concern.

"Well I just get lost in thought is all," I assured him, "I'm fine so we don't have to go out anywhere. Plus, your mom seems like the one to take me out for some girl time. So why did she ask you to take me out?"

I was really starting to have my suspicions about what his mother was doing. If only she knew that it wouldn't work out between us. He wasn't going to end up with me. Maybe I should at least tell her that sometime.

"Well she felt like you should hang out with someone your own age and she's always telling me to get out of the house for fun," he said, but continued in a more sheepish way, "Honestly if we don't go out she's just going to keep trying."

I don't think he caught himself on how that sounded.

"I suppose you're right. She's your mother, you know her better than I do," I responded while sitting up on the railing, "So when should we go then?"

Sitting on the railing put me more at his level. I could clearly see him blushing now. He really was kind of shy. I wonder if he dated anyone before.

"Probably this Friday would do," he said thoughtfully, "I'm going to be gone for a couple days for training so I should be back by then."

"You sure have been training a lot but I understand why. You can do it Trunks, I believe in you," I tried to encourage him and for some reason I took my hands off the railing.

I sort of forgot that I was sitting on a dangerous ledge and lost my balance. I fell backward a little but I didn't have time to think if I was going to fall or not because Trunks pulled me right back onto the balcony. In an instant I was standing on the balcony with Trunks holding my arm with one hand and holding my side with the other so I didn't fall over from the sudden motion.

"You shouldn't sit up there, it's dangerous. If I wasn't around you could have fell," he scolded me with a more serious expression than I have seen on him in a while.

It was in that expression that I saw a person who had gone through a lot of pain in his life.

Usually I might crack a joke but it didn't seem appropriate at the moment so I apologized, "I'm sorry."

He sighed and let go of me, "It's fine, just remember to be careful. Even peace has its own dangers."

I nodded. I usually was very careful but this time I had slipped up. The situation became awkward again and it was written all over his face.

"So I'll see you Friday," he said in a strange tone, as if he was trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," I said quietly.

It was kind of hard to look at him for some reason. He then left without saying another word. I knew he was gone when I heard the sliding door shut. I really felt bad for making him worry. I really didn't want to become a problem for anyone, especially him.

* * *

Like Trunks had said, he was gone for a few days and Bulma had gotten me some new clothes. Somehow she knew I was going out with him on Friday. I wonder who could have told her that. That was sarcasm by the way. I knew Trunks told his mom a lot more stuff than I would tell my own mom. I suppose a single mother and her son would be close. It made sense.

I sat on the edge of the bed while Scratch curled up near the pillows. Bulma was putting down outfits on the bed, trying to organize something for me to wear.

"You didn't need to get all of this. I'll be fine just wearing the normal clothes you got for me before," I protested.

I really didn't like trying on clothes or shopping for that matter.

"Nonsense. You need 'going out' clothes. You can't just wear the same ones you wear around here," she stated, matching items together.

I can't?

"What about these?" she offered me an outfit she finished putting together.

I tried to politely refuse but she only insisted. I went into the bathroom to change because I felt weird dressing in front of other people and came out when I was done. It was kind of a frilly dress thing. It might have looked too childish.

Bulma seriously considered it before asking the cat, "What do you think Scratch?"

He yawned.

"You're right, a little too frilly," she said before picking another outfit for me.

I felt like I had changed way too many times. Each thing just didn't feel like me. I suppose Scratch agreed. Finally, I dressed in something that I thought might be okay. It was definitely more casual. It was a long shirt-dress that had a few layers with some leggings and boots. Not to mention, I had a cute long sleeve cardigan for my shoulders.

Bulma considered it like all the others and looked to Scratch for the final decision. This time the little black cat jumped onto my shoulder and licked me. I think we had a winner.

* * *

Friday came up quickly as I was becoming a little nervous and I didn't know why. I think it was because Bulma was making it into a big deal. I also think she meant to keep us apart until we left for some reason. I know Trunks had come back because I heard them talking earlier but I didn't see him at breakfast. When I asked if he was really back she avoided my inquiries.

I had went back to my room and changed after I took care of the pets and looked at myself in the outfit one more time. This felt too much like a date or something.

I picked up Scratch and asked him, "This isn't a date, is it?"

"Mi-ah," he meowed.

Yeah he was right, it couldn't be a date.

I heard a knock at my door and I went to open it. Trunks was there wearing casual clothes and a jacket with the Capsule Corp. logo on it. He also wore a red scarf thing around his neck. He seemed curious as to what I was wearing.

"What's the occasion?" he asked.

"Well you know, your mom helped me pick them out," I felt kind of stupid.

"Right," he said with understanding, "So are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," I nodded as we left.

Maybe I was nervous because I had never left the Capsule Corp. grounds except when we visited the crater, but that just made it exciting too. What was the outside like? Walking out into the streets I couldn't tell that this place was once in ruin. It was as lively as any city.

"Wow, it looks like the restoration went well," I couldn't help but comment.

"Yeah, most of it was constructed in five years with everyone's help," he told me.

I didn't know anything about construction but that seemed pretty fast for a whole city. Still, I was glad everything was getting back to normal.

"So what do people do for fun around here?" I asked with new energy.

He thought about it for a bit, "Well, what do you do for fun?"

He really didn't get out much.

"Personally I just like seeing cool places and taking pictures. Oh, and eating foods I haven't tried yet," I nearly drooled when thinking of all the foods I could try.

"Speaking of which," I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of the city, "I need more pictures of this place besides Scratch."

"You take pictures of Scratch?" he questioned.

"Only . . . a little," he must never know that half of my phone's memory was now Scratch.

I was glad that Bulma made a charger for me or I wouldn't be able to take pictures at all. As per my suggestion, Trunks had taken me to see interesting places in the city although I pretty much found it all interesting. I took pictures of fountains, buildings, shops and even people.

"Have you had this before?" he asked as I looked to where he was pointing.

It was a picture of a dish. Did it have chicken in it?

"No, I don't think so," I said, examining it.

"Do you want to try it?" he offered.

"Sure," I answered without thinking until it hit me, "Wait, I don't have any way to pay for it."

He almost laughed, "It's fine, I'll pay for it. I don't expect you to have money from this world."

We had gone in and sat across from each other at a table. We ordered but I still felt weird about not being able to pay.

"I'll find a way to pay you back," I promised.

"It's fine really, you don't have to do that," he waved off awkwardly.

"Well I just thought that this would feel way too much like a . . . _date_ if you paid," I didn't know why that word was hard to say.

He blushed and adverted his eyes, "Ah, well, I guess you could pay me back later if you want."

"So," I couldn't believe I was going to ask this, "Speaking of dates, have you ever dated anyone before?"

He was probably as surprised as I was that I asked that question.

"Yeah, I did," he said shyly while not looking at me.

"Really?" I never heard of that in the series.

I mean, there were a lot of things I didn't hear about in this world.

"How many were there? What were they like?" I questioned eagerly.

The food happen to come at that moment which gave him something to focus on.

"There were three . . . they were nice and . . . they didn't last long," he admitted.

"What do you mean they didn't last long?" I was really curious now.

He was picking at his food, "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't really mean to pry," I apologized and tried my food.

It was kind of spicy. Was this cabbage? It was pretty good, whatever it was.

"Is it good?" he asked with a more pacified expression than earlier.

"Yeah," I smiled in between bites.

I really need to clear this bad air.

"If it makes you feel any better," I started, not knowing how it would turn out, "I've never dated before. Well, maybe I've ' _dated_ ' but I've never been out on a date or anything. Of course I didn't know if we were actually dating or not. It kind of just fizzed out."

"I see," he said.

I didn't think he knew how to take this kind of information. Jeez, what the hell was I saying anyway? This wasn't a date! I can't believe I made everything really awkward. I felt so dumb.

"Hey, do you know about any nice nature stops? It might be nice to see outside the city too," I suggested.

"Yeah, I do," he answered, but still seemed off.

We had made our way out of the city with a strange silent tension between us. We flew again when no one was looking. He then brought me out to a ledge that was under a tree overlooking fields and a forest. It was actually pretty calming.

"Oh wow, it's beautiful," I commented while taking a few pictures.

Maybe now I could say something, "Sorry about earlier."

I didn't want to see his expression but I forced myself to smile and look in his direction, "I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to learn more about you is all."

His troubled expression went away and he went back to being shy, "It's fine."

"It's really nice out here," I voiced my thoughts aloud.

I sat down and the grass and just took in scenery. Trunks had come closer but he didn't sit. He looked thoughtful when staring out at the fields.

"Why don't you sit with me?" I patted the ground as he sat down but still seemed out of it.

Was something on his mind? Did my question earlier really bother him or was it something else?

"Your hair is getting a little long isn't it?" I commented to keep the silence from setting in.

He came out of his thoughts and examined a lock of his hair, "Yeah, I guess I'll ask mom to cut it when I get back."

"I don't know. It looks nice when it's a bit longer. Of course if you were a full blooded Saiyan your hair would never change. Imagine all the time and money you could save on haircuts. Although, I mean, maybe it would be kind of boring if you could never change your hairstyle."

He smiled when I finished. I didn't know what he found amusing about it.

He leaned back and sighed, "You know, I stopped dating because I didn't know if anyone would be able to take the fact that I was half-Saiyan. I wasn't sure if they could deal with all the danger that came with being one."

So that's why they didn't last long?

"Well I'm sure you'll find someone that will someday," I reassured him while tangling my fingers.

That person was Mai.

"Yeah, maybe," he said almost absentmindedly.

When I looked over at him he was staring at me in a strange way. What was he thinking? I was starting to feel uncomfortable.

Getting up suddenly I brushed myself off, "Well, we should go."

He had gotten up too but as I brushed myself off I notice that the grass and dirt sunk into parts of my clothes.

"Oh man, I hope Bulma doesn't mind that I stained the new clothes she got me," I fretted while trying my best to get the blotches out.

"I don't think she will," Trunks assured me, "She wouldn't get mad about something like that."

"I guess you're right," I sighed, defeated, "She was just so nice to buy me so many clothes. I don't want to ruin them."

Although I still felt weird about her getting them. I was never good at receiving anything.

"She bought you more?" he questioned.

"Yeah," I felt kind of embarrassed when I explained, "She brought home a bunch of outfits when she found out about today. She had me try on all of them."

He nearly laughed, "Sounds like she was having fun. Honestly I think to her, you're like the daughter she never had."

"Well aren't I lucky to have two moms now," I commented but couldn't help thinking about home.

I wondered what it was like back home. What did they think happened to me? Were my parents sad? There were no clues as how I came here or how I could return. Was I never going to see my home ever again?

"You must miss your own world," he said with an expression that showed pity, "I promised I would help you find your way back. I'm sorry that I haven't found anything yet."

Was it written all over my face?

"No, it's fine," I tried to cheer him up, "If I was stuck here, it wouldn't be bad. It's been great spending time with you and Bulma."

I didn't want him to feel guilty about it. It's not his fault after all. He half-smiled but I could tell that it still bothered him.

"So um," I needed to change the subject, "We've been doing whatever I wanted to do all day. What do you want to do?"

He wasn't expecting this question. He seemed shy again as he thought.

"Well I don't really get out much for fun," he started.

So he finally admitted it.

"But there's a place I'd like to go visit," he smiled.

"Alright, let's go," I declared excitedly.

I didn't even think to ask where he wanted to go before we took off into the air. We had traveled for quite some time before he landed near a small town.

"Where is this?" I couldn't think of why he would want to come out to a small place like this.

"Turmeric Town," he stated, "I think you'll like it."

Even as he said that, he still seemed unsure. What was so special about this place that he wanted to come here? As we passed people in town, everyone seemed to know him. He even greeted everyone by name.

I just had to know, "You seem familiar with everyone. What's so special about this town?"

"Well I do a lot of my training nearby," he explained and pointed outside of town, "Just east of that mountain range. So, sometimes I stop by for supplies or just something to eat."

We then walked up to a convenience store where the man at the desk greeted him, "Well if it isn't Trunks. Getting the usual again today?"

"Hello Mr. Cardman. No, I'm not working today. I was wondering if you could show me that machine you've been working on, if you have the time."

The man looked like maybe he was in his fifties. He had brown hair that was starting to grey and a few scars. He was kind of tall and would have been intimidating if he wasn't so friendly.

"Ah, taking me up on my offer huh? Well it's right out back," the man said while going to the door and turning over the sign before locking it.

He then lead us out the back door to a yard with what looked like a pile a junk from my perspective.

"Is this it?" Trunks said with some excitement.

"Yeah, been trying to fix it up so don't mind the spare parts. It was in worse shape when I fished it out. I haven't been able to get it working yet," the man said as they talked about things I didn't know anything about.

"You don't mind if I take a look?" Trunks asked although he was already examining it.

"By all means," the man offered.

While Trunks was preoccupied the man had turned to me, "I've been meaning to ask: Who might you be Miss? I never seen Trunks bring anyone around before."

I felt a little out of place when answering, "My name is Hope. I just started helping out at Capsule Corp. recently."

"Helping out huh?" he wasn't buying it, "I thought he said he wasn't working today."

"Um, yeah," I wasn't sure what else I could say without implying anything.

He looked skeptical with a sly smile on his face, "You wouldn't happen to be his girlfriend, would you?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," I denied quickly.

"No need to get riled up. Just a question," he smirked.

Too late, I already was way too uncomfortable. An electric sound sparked as a "dammit" came from Trunks' direction.

"This might take a while," the man said, "Why don't you go inside and pick something out. It'll be on me."

He was practically pushing me in the store.

"Sure," said but I wasn't certain if I really wanted to go.

I went inside anyway. It's not like I could do much when I was out there. Plus, it allowed me to leave the awkward situation. Why did he have to ask something like that? It was going to give me false hopes.

* * *

When she left, the man smirked and went over to the machine.

"So how's it looking?" he questioned.

"I don't think it'll be able to run with these parts. I could bring some replacements the next time I stop by," Trunks said while still finding out what he could fix.

The machine itself wasn't in great shape but was better off than it was before. He was impressed that the scrap was doing the job for the exterior. Although, there was something more important at hand.

"So," Trunks wiped his hands and spoke seriously, "Did you sense anything?"

"The girl?" that man spoke casually, "Nothing at all. Even when she's right in front of you, it's like she's not there. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself. You don't think she is hiding it?"

"No, she's not a fighter," he commented, "I've just never seen anything like it before."

The man brushed it off, "Don't let it bother you. She might just have such a low signature strength that it appears to be nonexistent."

"Maybe," he agreed but it still bothered him.

At first he thought that maybe her sickness was causing it but she still has no ki signature. Maybe people from her world didn't have ki signatures. If anything, this might be a vital clue to sending her home, but would it really be bad if she stayed? Why was this even bothering him? He promised he would get her home so that's what he was going to do. Still, she did say that she wouldn't mind if she stayed.

He hated to admit it but he was becoming attached. Somehow it felt natural to have her around. It could have possibly just been her knowledge that made him feel at ease, like he could let his guard down. It was hard to find someone that he could be completely himself around. The only thing standing in the way was this mystery: why didn't she have ki? There was always the possibility that she was lying to him but from spending time with her he found it hard to believe she was deceiving him.

"So where did you find this girl?" the man questioned.

"Out in the country," he bent the truth.

He couldn't exactly say she came from the sky.

"You two together or something?" he asked with a smirk.

"What? No," he tried to keep himself from embarrassment.

The man just laughed hitting Trunks on the shoulder, "I thought so. About time. Well, I'll wish you luck."

"What are you talking about?" he said no, didn't he?

"Your face is easy to read kid," the man stated, "You might want to work on that."

* * *

There were a lot of things in the store but I didn't know if I should actually get anything. I really didn't like free things. It weirded me out, but I didn't know if it would be rude to refuse. I picked out a small matcha cake of some sort. I never had it before but maybe it would be nice to try. Plus, it wasn't really expensive or anything so I wouldn't feel bad about getting it.

While I was looking around I noticed that they had quite a selection of bento. I wonder if this was one of the reasons he liked this place. Not only that, but the owner and him got along well. When I went outside again, I noticed that the owner was smiling widely while Trunks displayed embarrassment.

The man saw me right away, "Find anything you like?"

"Just this if you don't mind," I held out the item so he could see.

"Good choice," he smirked.

The two exchanged a few more words. Trunks said something about bringing some parts next time while the man wished him luck. Trunks looked irritated about it somehow. We had left the store as I waved goodbye.

Just outside the city I inquired, "I see why you like that place: bento and machines. Those are your favorite things right?"

"You know too much about me," he tried to sound annoyed but ended up sounding amused instead.

"I can't help it. It's just part of the many things I know about this place," I said.

Was it weird that I knew him personally like that? The bento thing I had read before but it was obvious that he really liked machines. I wasn't sure if it was a natural interest or just the fact that he was the successor for Capsule Corp.

"Are you ready to go back?" he asked.

"Is there nowhere else you want to go?" we had only gone to one place.

He rubbed the back of his head, "Not really."

"Okay," I agreed and as he gave me his back I stopped, "Oh I just remembered."

I pulled out my phone, "I should take a picture to commemorate the occasion."

I motioned for him to get closer. He seemed reluctant at first but closed the distance between us.

"Get down here, so we both can be in the picture," I teased.

He bent down a bit and I held up the camera, "Smile."

I snapped the picture then looked at it. I know I was fully smiling but Trunks had a softer smile. Overall it was a good photo. Still, he always looked like he was worried about something. I couldn't figure out what it was and I didn't know if it was my place to ask. Although, it made sense if there was a lot on his mind when he knew another strong enemy was coming. I just wished I could do more to help.

* * *

A few more months passed but not without their own events. Trunks and I had started hanging out more when he wasn't out training. He also hadn't cut his hair like he said he was going to. I wonder if he took what I said to heart. I also had to the opportunity to see him smile more often. Maybe we had become friends.

New Year's Eve arrived before I knew it. I had been here for a half year although I admit it felt shorter. I know most people would say living here was like living in a dream but I didn't think so. It was more like living in another country except I couldn't call or visit home. I was so close yet so far from where I was before.

The night was cold and I was wearing a warm jacket. I could see my breath as Trunks, Bulma, and I stood out on the balcony. For New Year's, they would have usually cleaned the house, decorated, ate cool rice cakes, drank an alcohol I never heard of, and watched the fireworks at midnight with family. I heard that recently people thought that if you made a wish on the fireworks that it would come true in the New Year, but it wasn't a tradition. Something of tradition they didn't do anymore had something to do with ringing a bell to ward off evil spirits. They also told me it was unusually cold this year.

"What did you do for New Year's Eve where you came from?" Bulma asked as she handed me a glass of the clear alcohol.

The alcohol she gave me, called Dragon's Tears, was bitter but had a slightly sweet aftertaste. She had said that it was only drank on New Year's. Of course, I think I had drank too much of it already since they came in small glasses. I was starting to feel that weight on my mind and lightness in my body. I couldn't even feel the cold as much as I did before, so I held onto this drink.

"We would do some of the same things but usually New Year's Eve was spent with friends. People would party, drink champagne, eat good food, sometimes wear streamers and other colorful sparkly clothes, and watch a lit up ball drop," I explained although, now that I said it, it seemed strange, "People also would kiss someone they loved at midnight. It's usually a lovers thing. I don't know if it's supposed to bring luck or something."

"Sounds interesting," Bulma said while she downed another cup.

I don't know how she drank so much of this stuff. Even though Trunks had drank too, it didn't seem to be affecting him at all.

"It's almost time," she said while we all watched the sky.

The people who worked the fireworks were very timely. Once the countdown hit midnight, fireworks filled the sky. It was enchanting view from here.

"Hey," Trunks nudged me, "Make a wish and then take a drink."

I suppose that was the new tradition, "I wish that the future will be bright and peaceful like it is now."

I then drank but Trunks had laughed, "You don't have to say it aloud."

"Oh man, does that mean it wouldn't come true?" I asked sadly.

"No," he assured me with a smile, "It'll come true."

He then looked up at the fireworks show again and drank his own glass. I wonder what he wished for.

Later on we had taken things inside to the living room. I ended up drinking too much. The alcohol was a lot more powerful than I thought it was. Luckily I don't think I did anything stupid because when I woke up I was in my own bed feeling a little queasy but nothing too bad. I really hoped that my wish would come true.

* * *

Hope had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Looks like it's time to call it a night," Bulma said when she noticed her there.

"I'll take her to her room," Trunks volunteered.

Bulma only smiled. She was a little drunk herself but still aware.

She stood up and hugged her son, "Goodnight Trunks. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," he said and hugged back.

She then left with a slight stumble at the door. Maybe it was a good thing she was going to bed. Alcohol didn't seem to affect him that much. He would have to drink a lot to get nearly as bad as these two did.

Walking over to Hope, he decided to shake her a little first, "It's time to go to bed."

She groaned and snuggled into the couch pillow.

"It's time to go to bed; you don't want to sleep out here do you?" he questioned but received no response.

"Come on," he said while somehow getting the pillow away from her.

He then carefully picked her up while she clung onto him like she did the pillow. He carried her all the way to her room and opened the door with some difficulty but when he tried to place her on the bed she kept holding on.

"You gotta let go," he said while trying to pry her off as gently as possible.

"No," she groaned, "Stay here."

He sighed, "I can't stay here. You need to sleep, alright?"

He had finally got her off enough but she was still holding onto his arm.

"No. Trunks, stay here," she breathed out.

His name struck him. So even drunk she knew it was him.

"I can't stay," he repeated softly.

Shouldn't this be the other way around? She was from another world. How long would she remain until she was able to go home?

"Hey," he started, "Do you . . . want to stay here with me?"

She was pretty far gone. She probably wouldn't remember any of this.

"Mmm-hmm," she was drifting off fast.

"Do you want to go home?" he questioned further.

"Mmm-hmm," she repeated.

Yeah, she was gone. Although his heart leapt when she said she wanted to stay with him. No, he shouldn't read into it. She was three sheets to the wind at this point. Finally, he felt her hand fall to the bed. He was free to go.

She was very innocent while sleeping and reeked of alcohol but he must have reeked of it too. Even if she couldn't stay, at least he could have this. He bent down and kissed her forehead softly as to not wake her up.

"Happy New Year," he whispered before leaving and closing the door behind him.

* * *

It was already Spring before I knew it. I didn't know if it was Spring fever or what, but Bulma was still trying to get us together. No matter the moment, it never felt right to tell her that Trunks would end up with someone else. I reasoned that if I said anything then maybe it wouldn't happen but perhaps I was just a coward. I didn't want the fun times I had with them to end. I didn't want to think that this would all end eventually.

Trunks had brought me out to where he usually trains. I told him I had wanted to see it when he mentioned a waterfall.

"Wow, so this is it?" I gawked at my surroundings.

It was a beautiful open area with a waterfall some ways off. I suppose it would have been too loud if we were close.

"Well I train closer to the falls but I thought it would be better over here; it's not tore up," he answered and removed the pack he brought.

"Can I know what's in the bag now?" I asked eagerly.

He told me it was a surprise. I bet it was food. It better be food. Please let it be food!

He pulled out two bento boxes from the convenience store nearby. Yes, food!

"You said you wanted to try this. You like chicken right?" he said with a knowing smile.

"So you finally figured me out. Took you long enough," I teased.

"It's not like I can read about you in a book," he teased back.

I laughed, "Well honestly, you are a bit different from the book version of you."

"How so?" he asked curiously.

"You're a lot more real," I explained while opening the bento, "You have bad days and good days. You make little mistakes. You're a person. Not just a character."

"I see," he said while half-frowning, "but I want to know what these mistakes are."

"I couldn't even count them all," I sighed in amusement, "but do you remember that time I was making tempura and I wanted to prepare some vegetables so I told you to watch the shrimp for a minute but you ended up burning them?"

He rubbed the back of his head and blushed, "I was . . . distracted."

"I'm sure you were," I smirked.

"Is it alright that I'm not the 'character' you thought I was?" he questioned while not looking at me, picking at his food.

"Yeah, of course," I chimed, "I like who you are rather than who I think you are."

He grinned at this but noticed something, "Hey, you have something right here."

He pointed to a corner of his mouth.

I tried wiping my face with a napkin, "Did I get it?"

He shook his head, still grinning.

I tried wiping every possible part of my mouth, "Is it gone?"

He shook his head again, "No."

Before I could do anything he had come closer and held my face, wiping a spot with his thumb that I was sure I had gone over, "It's here."

He was extremely close. His eyes lowered as he stared at me like he was searching for something. Why was my heart beating faster? Was he getting closer? I was starting to believe that there wasn't actually anything on my face. My eyes became half-lidded. Was this actually happening?

Suddenly his eyes widened as he shot up fast, pulling me with him. He positioned me behind him defensively while he took on a tense stance.

"Who are you?" he questioned accusingly.

When I looked around him I could see two men, both with long ears. One was short and purple while the other was taller and red.

"Supreme Kai Shin?"

* * *

 **Notes:** Hopefully that didn't feel like it went too fast. I feel like I tried to cram too much in the course of a year. So much normal everyday stuff happens that I felt these were the only events that stood out. The action in this story will start in the next chapter when events really start to change. Change for better or worse? We'll see. Also, I've been writing so much that I did experience some burnout with this chapter so the next one might take a little longer. I'll watch some DBZ in the meantime to get a better picture of how Shin and Kibito act. At least that way I'll be able to relax and get inspiration for what is to come.

I'm sorry if some things in this chapter seem Mary Sue-ish. She lives with them because where else would she go? Bulma bought her clothes because she had nothing. Bluma might think of her as a daughter but at the same time, not really. It's not like Hope calls her mom or anything. I just think she is happy to have a girl around. Bulma just happens to be a very helpful person especially in this timeline. Also, my sister and her friend basically share moms and call each other's mom 'mom'. I always found it weird but my mom and my sister's friend's mom are okay with it so yeah, these things happen sometimes. I really don't want to elaborate more on weird things that happen in my family tree but just know that at least Hope doesn't call Bulma 'mom' or anything.

I want to mention as well, when I don't describe certain things or Hope doesn't seem to remember something or know the name for something, it is on purpose. As the author, I know everything but it's more realistic if Hope and all other characters doesn't draw the right conclusion right away or don't remember some things. So if you ever wonder why people don't know what is going on or don't remember something that seems obvious in this story, just remember that it is intentional.

I'm not really a person that takes a lot of pictures. From my experience of some cat owners I know that their phones can be filled up with cat pictures so that comment about Scratch taking up half her phone made me laugh when writing it.

I also want to say that although Trunks didn't cut his hair when stated it's not that he has long hair again. It's just he lets it grow out a little longer before getting it cut.

Mr. Cardman was someone Trunks met that was part of a resistance group that fought the Androids. It turned out that he was exceptional at fighting and learned to sense ki. Usually Trunks goes to his shop alone to get something to eat during his training and talk about machines. Cardman does a lot of salvage work of machines since there is a lot of broken tech from the Android attack. After the Androids were defeated, he started up his own business in Turmeric Town and helped out a lot with restoration. Trunks and him bonded over their mutual interest in fighting and machines and Trunks often thinks of him as an uncle in this timeline. Cardman often likes to tease Trunks and, in a way, tries to live life vicariously through him. Also, as a side note, he made Trunks pay for the matcha cake afterwards by putting it on his tab; he's a business man after all.


	5. Powerless

**Notes:** Honestly I always worry that these chapters move at an extremely fast pace but when I read the manga I notice that chapters are fast and to the point. Or at least, I feel they are. That doesn't make them uninteresting though. The anime is the only thing that drags on a bit. Also, this chapter will introduce a few new ideas and hopefully you aren't put off by them.

* * *

 **5\. Powerless**

* * *

Somehow, I didn't want to believe it would happen. In between the peaceful days I had become accustomed to how I lived and wished that it would last forever. I had hoped that I was wrong and that Shin would never show up, but now here he was. Everything had led up to this.

"This is the Supreme Kai?" Trunks looked back at me and questioned.

It hit me that I never really talked about his appearance before. Was he expecting someone grander?

"Yeah, it's Shin," I confirmed before walking out beside him and addressing the Kai, "You've come here because of Buu, right?"

"You know about Buu?" Shin asked, his once mysteriously serious expression changing to surprise.

"Yes," I tried not to sound too awkward, "You're looking for a strong fighter right? One to help dispose of Babidi."

"Who are you, human? How do you know about Buu?" Kibito questioned strongly at the small Kai's side.

He really did look intimidating. I should really get to the point; I may have known them but they definitely didn't know me.

"My name is Hope and it's a long story but I know the future," I answered sheepishly.

"It's true," Trunks confirmed formally, "she knew that you would seek me out to combat Babidi."

The Supreme Kai recovered from his initial shock and became serious once more, "What do you know of Babidi and Buu?"

I went on to explain how Buu came to be and how Babidi was now trying to gather energy to resurrect him with help from the henchmen he controls. As I spoke I could see the expressions on their faces change from distrust to astonishment. If they didn't believe me before, they definitely did now.

"So Babidi has Debura under his control, I didn't expect his power to extend that far," Shin commented worriedly, "If that is the case then we will most certainly need your help, Trunks."

"How do you know who I am?" Trunks questioned curiously.

Shin explained stoically, "Truthfully we have known who you were since your defeat of the Androids and Cell. It is only recently we discovered that Babidi is nearly finished collecting energy for Majin Buu. We had rushed to find him only to see that he has gone back into hiding again. He's being very careful to gather small amounts of energy at a time so we don't notice his movements."

Shin then made a painful expression while balling his fists, "Although, knowing that he has Debura under his control complicates things. We may need your help more than ever but I'm not sure if I can ask you to fight someone like him. Debura is just too strong."

"Don't worry Supreme Kai, if you train Trunks with the Z Sword I'm sure he can be defeated along with Babidi," I encouraged.

For once, Shin's face was hopeful, "You mean to tell me he can use the Z Sword?"

"That's what I've been told," Trunks said although he seemed unsure.

"A human on the Sacred Sphere," Kibito nearly exclaimed in disgust, "And even wielding the Z Sword; that's a ridiculous notion. No human could pull it out if neither I nor any of the Supreme Kais could not."

"We don't know until we try Kibito," Shin said while thinking, "It may be possible for one tethered to a human god like him."

"A human god?" Trunks repeated.

"What's that?" I furthered his question; I never heard that term in this world before.

Shin's surprise was back again, "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" I asked, noticing he was looking at me while saying this. Did he expect me to know because I knew the future? Was this something that changed?

"Interesting that a human god would know so much yet not know she was a god," Shin said thoughtfully.

I tilted my head, wondering what he was talking about. I looked at Trunks to see if he knew but he was looking at me expectantly. It was then I noticed that everyone was looking at me.

Finally I got the hint, "You don't mean _me_ , do you? How could I be- I mean, what even is a human god?" they couldn't mean me.

"So you're completely unaware," Shin seemed perplexed that I didn't know before he explained, "Well, human gods are not uncommon. They usually receive a god into their body by making a pact with them. Usually it is to complete a certain task for the god in exchange for the god's power. Not many human bodies can sustain a god's ki so those who receive a god have relatively short lives. Although, through tethering to another human, especially a stronger one, a human god can take some of the strain off of their own body and share power with that person."

He seemed to imply that I was a human god, but I didn't feel any different. Even if I did have some kind of power, I definitely didn't notice. Wouldn't Trunks have noticed if I did? I glanced up at him but he was serious.

"Is it normal for a human god to have no ki?" he questioned the Supreme Kai.

"Oh that's right," Shin smiled apologetically, "Humans usually can't sense god ki. Although, I do admit that it's strange for even a human god to not have normal ki as well."

That's right, god ki couldn't be sensed normally. I had forgotten about that, but I didn't think we would have to deal with it either. I didn't think that I would possess something like that. I put a hand to my chest and thought about how I felt but I was completely normal. Also, did this mean that Trunks knew he couldn't sense any ki from me but didn't say anything about it? How long had he known?

"A human who can't even sense a god's ki. That means he can't even utilize the tether," Kibito remarked disdainfully.

"What does it mean to be tethered? How the hell did we become tethered in the first place?" When would we have connected in some way?

"I'm not sure," Shin answered rubbing the back of his head, "I haven't seen a human god before, I've only heard about them."

So even he wasn't certain how human gods worked.

"It may be a problem if he can't sense the ki. Even a strong fighter as he is, I wonder if he'll be able to defeat Debura," Shin worried under his breath.

Was he relying on the tethered power for victory?

"Even without god ki, I will defeat Debura and Babidi. I won't allow them to destroy this world," Trunks said firmly as to clear their doubts.

I should help as well, "That's true. Just let him try to pull the sword from the stone. What could it hurt?"

Shin considered it for a while before agreeing, "Alright."

Kibito was dumbfounded, "Supreme Kai, you can't be serious? A human in the Sacred Land of the Kais is unheard of!"

"It'll be fine Kibito. I'd rather us take the chance. If Debura really is under Babidi's control then we'll need any advantage we can take. If he can't wield the sword then we'll just have to train as much as we can without it."

"Right, then let's go," Trunks said, ready as ever. It's what he had been training for after all.

Everyone had gathered up but it looked like they were going to teleport without me.

"Hey, wait up. You can't leave me here," I ran up to them.

Trunks had snapped out of his serious tone and realized this as well, "Oh right."

He spoke to Shin, "You don't mind if I take her home first, do you?"

"What? No, I'm going with you," I protested but his serious expression came back.

He spoke in a low voice, "It'll be dangerous there while we're training. You'll be safer here on Earth."

I frowned, "Are you forgetting that Babidi is here on Earth? Do you really think I'll be safe while you guys are on another planet?"

"Babidi isn't able to sense god ki either so he shouldn't find her. Although, it may be beneficial to take her along," Shin said while Kibito's frown became more intense, "We may be able to train you to be able to use god ki."

Trunks looked almost angry, "There's no need to take her. The sword will be enough."

Shin seemed to see something in him I couldn't while his eyes narrowed slightly, "A human god has a time frame in which they can be away from the one they are tethered to before the buildup of ki causes a negative effect on their body. I don't know how long our training will take."

Trunks looked worried then torn as he thought of the options. Was he really that opposed to me going? Well with the expression on Kibito's face, he didn't want me to tag along either. Although I was concerned as well when Shin had said that there would be a 'negative effect' on my body.

Sighing, Trunks turned to me, "Fine, you can come along, but it's not a vacation. Training can be dangerous for those nearby so be careful."

"I will, don't worry," I said, happy that I could go.

"Right then, hold on. I will transport us there," Shin stated as Trunks and I touched his shoulder then disappeared.

Well, at least it must have looked like we disappeared but it felt strange. One moment I felt a strange vacuum and couldn't breathe but it was only for an instant before the scenery changed. In the blink of an eye it was over as my feet fell onto a new ground. There was a slightly sick feeling in my stomach.

This place looked kind of like Earth but had a purple sky with many moons.

"Let's not waste time; Babidi could collect the energy he needs any day now. We'll go to the sword right away," Shin said while ascending into the air.

Everyone nodded although Kibito still had a scowl plastered permanently on his face. Trunks picked me up as we all took off following the Supreme Kai. It was remarkable how temperate this place was. It wasn't too hot or cold, the air was fresh and clean, and the wind was gentle. It was like some kind of paradise. I could see why it was a sacred world.

Soon we saw the sword lodged atop a tall natural rock pillar. We landed there and gazed at the sword. It was a lot bigger than I had imagined and it really did have a grand appearance. It was like time never wore down this sword.

"Go ahead Trunks, see if you can pull out the sword," Shin suggested.

I could tell that Shin was trying to be hopeful. Unlike his other counterpart in the other timeline, he didn't know the power of Saiyans. I don't even think he knew what a Saiyan was. Oh man, he was going to be in for a surprise.

Trunks stood in front of the sword and griped the hilt. He pulled on it but it wasn't budging and looked like it was hurting his hands.

He had tried for a while in his normal form before he decided to put more power into it. The ground began to shake as his ki rose. Loose rocks trembled as his hair turned blonde and burst of wind emanated from him. Shin and Kibito watched in awe as the sword loosened and tore free from the rock. The force he had to use sent him up in the air but he descended back to the platform.

Trunks held the sword up in front of him while his hair faded back to normal, "Wow, this thing is kind of heavy isn't it."

If it was heavy for him I couldn't even imagine how much it weighed.

"What? What was that?" Shin questioned still stunned by what happened.

"What was what?" Trunks asked, confused.

"You changed and that immense power; was that from the Z Sword?" he tried to make sense of the whole situation.

"Oh," Trunks explained, "No that was just my Super Saiyan form."

"Super Saiyan?" Shin gaped, "What are you?"

"Well I'm part human but I'm part Saiyan too," he stated simply.

"Are all Saiyans capable of this?" Shin questioned further; he really was a curious guy.

Trunks seemed sad as he thought, "I don't know; they might be. I only knew a few other Saiyans but as far as I know, I'm the last one."

That was true wasn't it? In this timeline and in this universe, he was the last one.

Shin looked like he knew he was treading on a sensitive topic so he went back to the matter at hand, "I see. Do you feel any power from the Z Sword? It was said that those who pulled the sword from the stone would release its power."

"Honestly, I don't feel anything from this, it's just really heavy," he said while testing a slow swing.

Now I have to admit that I didn't tell them everything about the sword or the fight with Debura. I had said that the sword would help in fighting Debura but I didn't say how. I think everyone was still expecting something from the sword but no one knew that the power in the sword was actually Old Kai. I worried that if I told them then they wouldn't train with the sword and I wasn't sure if that would change the future too much. The sword did block Debura's spit after all, but would training with Old Kai be better? I hated keeping secrets but I didn't want to mess things up. I just wanted to guide them where they needed to be. Still, somehow the Supreme Kai needed to live. I hadn't even told Shin and Kibito that they would certainly die if things played out as they had before.

"Well the true power will come out in the training," I said as everyone now turned their attention to me, "After that he may even be able to cut a substance as dense as Katchin."

I couldn't believe I was saying this but I really didn't know how this was supposed to play out.

"Really?" Shin said. He was grasping any hope he could.

"Why don't we go test it out a little," I suggested.

Kibito was shocked but agitated by the turn of events; I'm not sure if he really just didn't like humans or if it just hurt his pride. Trunks had picked me up too as we flew down to the ground. I was concerned about him carrying me and the sword at the same time but he assured me that I didn't weigh even a fraction of what the sword did so the extra weight wouldn't be a problem. I realized that I never got to see him actually display his power since I arrived here. Did he even have a limit? Here I was the whole time wondering if I was heavy when we were flying together but I might as well have been a feather to him.

When we landed, we all had given Trunks enough room to test out the sword but it still seemed like his movements were slow. They were slow even for me.

"So what do you think about the legendary sword?" Shin asked eagerly.

"I don't see how this could help in defeating Debura," Trunks commented, struggling with the weapon.

Shin seemed taken aback while Kibito scolded, "What are you talking about? That is the most powerful sword on this holy sphere. It could defeat even Buu. But not until you learned to use it properly. I won't let you fight until you have perfect control over it."

"I know how to handle a sword but this thing is incredibly heavy. Why don't you try holding it?" he offered Kibito the sword.

As Trunks handed him the sword, the weapon immediately crashed into the ground making an indent. It startled the recipient and even me. Kibito tried to pick it up with all his strength but it didn't even budge.

He turned around, embarrassed, "Well, maybe I'll let you handle it a little."

He then faced us again with a priceless look on his face, "But you must you must learn to use the Z Sword to its full potential!"

I covered my mouth and tried to hide the fact that I found it humorous; poor Kibito.

* * *

Training had started right away. Like I had promised, I was careful to keep my distance although that wasn't too hard. I had decided to tell Shin and Kibito that they would die if they were too rash while fighting and that Shin's death would cause a powerful enemy to destroy the world. Both of them didn't take this information lightly but because of that they decided to train me to use my ki. Shin began to believe that my knowledge of the future was the 'will of the god' that resided in my body. He didn't know which god had given me power but he figured that I should be capable of at least healing, instantaneous movement, and simple ki attacks if I learned to use my ki. These were apparently techniques anyone with god ki could manage if trained.

First I needed to be able to sense my own ki so I was meditating, but my mind couldn't help but wander. I didn't know if I was actually a human god like they said. I never heard of anything like that before. Although, it would explain why I was so sick when I arrived here and when Trunks left for a few days I would feel a little sick again. He had never been gone for more than a few days at a time. I still didn't know how we had become tethered. What did it all mean? If human gods were to complete a task then what was mine?

"You look too tense," Shin commented, startling me, "Just remember to clear your mind and concentrate inward."

"Right," I responded, looking sheepish.

Shin checked on my progress occasionally but they were more concentrated on Trunks. He was at the point where he could wield the sword with one hand now. I thought it was impressive for that kind of sword and they never really stopped training either. I swear I had fallen asleep two times and they were still at it. I watched him move for a while; he was getting faster and he looked nice in his new clothes. Well, even I was wearing new clothes. Kibito insisted that we wear them if we were going to stay on the Sacred Sphere for any amount of time. I didn't hate the clothes but I really wanted my old ones back and I think Trunks felt the same. How the hell did someone materialize clothes anyway? Where did my old ones go?

I sighed and closed my eyes trying to go back to sensing my own ki. Would I be able to do this? It was like I was trying to imagine a new color or move a muscle I didn't know I had. It was impossible yet I was trying. I just needed to sense it and then I could use it. That was all easier said than done. I became even more frustrated when Trunks was able to sense my ki before I did. When they had finally taken a break to eat, I was able to talk to him.

"Still having trouble, huh?" he asked causally afterward.

He was sitting by me under a tree. Shin and Kibito where off talking about something.

"Yeah," I felt kind of stupid for not being able to sense it, "Do you have any tips?"

He thought for a moment, "I'm not sure. I can't remember the first time I could sense my own ki. Honestly, I think I knew it was always there, but if you are trying to sense someone else's ki then that is a different story."

He shifted on the grass to face me, "Do you know that feeling when you think someone is following you or watching you?"

I nodded.

"Try to think of that feeling when others are around," he explained, "When you can't see or hear someone, how do you know where they are?"

"I see, that's like ki sensing then," that might work but it was hard to think of now. I suppose I would try it when we went back to training.

"So," I was meaning to ask, "You can sense my ki now?"

"Yes, I can," he looked away as if somehow this was a personal question.

"I know it's different from normal ki but what's it like?" I questioned curious as to how it was different.

He rubbed the back of his head, trying to find an answer. I guess I was asking the hard questions, "It's difficult to explain when you can't sense normal ki yet, but if I were to compare I would say that god ki is more powerful and . . . pure. I'm not sure if that is the word. It's definitely a smoother and more refined version of ki."

"Thanks but your right; I don't get it," I admitted while tangling my fingers. I didn't know if I would ever get this.

"Funny that you knew that god ki existed but never mentioned it before," he commented in what seemed like an accusing way to me although his tone was level.

"Well I didn't think I had it," I defended quickly, "I didn't even think we would have to sense it at all. Plus, the only way to sense it is to possess it in your own body. Well, maybe that's how it works. I'm not exactly sure. I mean, I can't sense it."

I sighed, feeling defeated.

"You may be right that you can only sense it if you possess it," he said thoughtfully, "The only reason I can sense it is because you are giving it to me."

I looked up at him as he explained, "Because we are tethered somehow, I always felt this sort of foreign power. It was something that tugged at the back of my mind but I couldn't grasp the feeling. Only when I knew it was god ki, I could finally find a way to sense it."

"I'm sorry that somehow we became connected," I rubbed my arm and adverted my eyes, "I don't know how it happened but from what Shin said, I might have died if it didn't happen so thank you."

I glanced at him to see him blushing a bit, "Don't mention it. Like you said: it's not like either of us did it on purpose."

It was time to change the subject before it became awkward, "So, what is my power level like?"

"Well," he began, "I don't know how gods level their power since it's on a higher scale than normal ki, but at least compared to the Supreme Kai and Kibito you are significantly weaker."

I glared at him. What did her mean by 'significantly weaker'?

Seeing my expression he tried to explain himself, "I mean, it's lower in level but that may be because you are sharing some of your ki with me. If you had all of your ki then you might surpass them."

"We'll see about that when I can sense ki," I challenged.

"Yeah," he said nervously. Hopefully he wasn't lying and worrying that I would figure out when or if I could sense ki.

"By the way, do you think your mom is worried about us? We didn't tell her we were leaving," I asked.

"She should be fine . . . I think," he said but wasn't sure as he bit his thumbnail.

Hopefully this training wouldn't take too long because Bulma would be way more fierce of an opponent than Debura.

* * *

Training continued and I swear I was the only one that never made progress. Maybe I wasn't meant for this sensing thing. Trunks had become quickly proficient in handling the Z Sword, but of course he already knew how to handle a sword in the first place. I was glad when I heard that his training was done. It had only been a day or two so I was impressed that it ended so fast.

"Excellent Trunks! That was incredible swordsmanship!" Shin clapped and praised him.

"I still can't believe it. To think, a human would be capable of wielding the Z Sword," Kibito commented almost proudly.

He had really lightened up a bit while we were here and especially after seeing the power and skill that Trunks displayed.

"Thank you, Supreme Kai. With your training I believe I honed my skills enough to defeat Babidi and Debura," he thanked him with confidence.

Shin nodded, "Alright, now for the final test."

He held up his hand as a large black cube appeared then hovered in the air, "The legendary sword should be able to cut this. Now that you've mastered it, let's witness the sword's power."

"Ready when you are," Trunks said as he held up the blade.

This was it. I was nearly holding my breath. This was when Kibito would sense Babidi.

Shin prepared to throw the cube and then in what seemed like an instant, the cube went flying and sword cracked against the dense metal. Now I wasn't the only one holding my breath. Shin and Kibito were frightened as hell. Trunks looked like he accidentally broke his neighbor's window while playing baseball as he held the stub of the sword. The overall horror struck everyone, including me.

Why did it break? I shouldn't have played out this way. I suppose I was trying to change things but I thought that just strengthening Trunks and warning Shin would be enough. I didn't even think it would change events like this.

"It . . . broke . . .," Kibito said slowly.

"It's at least a lot lighter now," Trunks commented but I think he was still in shock from what happened.

"You said it would cut Katchin," Shin slowly and shakily addressed me.

I felt bad for holding this information back, "I said it _may_ be able to cut Katchin, but the true power was actually released just now."

"The lady sure knows true power when she sees it," a rough voice said, making Shin and Kibito jump.

We all turned to see Old Kai standing there as if he had been all along.

"Who are you?" Shin asked although I'm sure he was still stunned from before.

"I am the Supreme Kai from fifteen generations back," he said calmly.

"From fifteen generations back!" Shin exclaimed.

"You're a Supreme Kai?" Kibito shouted in astonishment.

"That's right. There was an incredibly strong evil fellow, although probably not as strong as Buu. He sealed me into that sword. He did that because he was so terrified of me," Old Kai explained with an amusing smile.

Everyone was confused as the old man stretched out a bit, happy to be free.

"Is he really that strong?" I heard Trunks question.

This guy really knew how to stretch the truth.

"Oh come on. You really think Beerus isn't as strong as Majin Buu? Plus, you also got into some stupid fight so he sealed you in that sword. If anyone is afraid, I'm sure you're afraid of him," I couldn't help but correct him.

Old Kai looked taken aback as he searched around for the source of the voice, "Huh? Who said that? He was terrified of my power!"

His eyes finally rested on me, "Celeste? No, a human god. A human _woman_ god."

His nose dripped and his eyes widened when I remembered that he was a lecherous old man.

"Oh lucky me, to see a human woman in person when I was released," he crept closer.

Oh hell no.

"Stay back," I said while holding my hands out in front of me but I didn't think it was going to work.

Just then, Trunks had stepped in between us, "What was this power you were speaking of?"

Old Kai tried to look around him as he explained, "A power to increase one's potential past their limits."

"Really?" Trunks said.

Shin and Kibito seemed really impressed as well.

"Could you do that for us?" Shin questioned.

"Maybe I could," the old Kai smirked, "If the lady asks nicely and lets me just . . ."

With the kind of hand movements he was making I knew what he was going to say, "Hell no!"

I crossed my arms over my chest and turned away.

"Well then no deal!" Old Kai pouted.

"Elder, you can't be serious," Shin couldn't believe what he was saying.

Dammit, the training may help and it looked like we had more time than I thought before Babidi would be on the move. Maybe if I just lied a little bit.

"I don't know why you would waste your time with me. I have a friend that is way hotter and really likes older guys," I said but maybe I went a little too far.

"What friend are you-" Trunks was about to blow it so I nudged him. I think he might have gotten the hint.

"Really now?" Old Kai took the bait.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'd entertain you for a bit," what the heck was I saying?

"I see, I see," the old Kai said quickly, "What is she like? Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll take anything at this point, but are you sure she'll let me touch her?"

"Yeah, I think so," I said but I was more than disgusted with this guy already.

As Old Kai rejoiced at the thought, Trunks leaned in and whispered, "Who are you talking about?"

"I don't know," I whispered back, "I'll figure it out later but for now I just want him to train you."

Shin and Kibito looked about as ashamed of his behavior as I was. If only Trunks knew that his mother was the subject of bribery in the alternate timeline, he would have just flipped.

"Right, let's get started so I can meet this woman soon," Old Kai said with new energy, while addressing Trunks, "You're the one that pulled out the sword, correct?"

"Yes," Trunks replied, unsure of what to think of this guy.

"I'll make you the strongest fighter in the universe," the old man laughed before turning a judging eye to Shin, "Although, I was hoping that a Supreme Kai would release me from that prison. These must be desperate times if I had to rely on a human."

Shin looked guilty as he apologized, "I'm terribly sorry."

Old Kai stretched and cracked some joints before extending his arms and pointing to an opening, "Stand over here and try not to move."

"Have fun," I giggled, thinking of the process he was going to go through.

Trunks was puzzled as to why I found it amusing but he was soon to find out.

He stood in the middle of the open grass in front of Old Kai who shouted, "Here I go! Defeat Debura!"

The old man then started moving his arms and marching around Trunks while chanting strange words.

"Excuse me, Sir," Trunks addressed him, "What are you doing?"

"Shut up! This is an important ritual!" the old man huffed.

"This is going to take a while," I told Shin and Kibito who looked equally baffled by what was going on, "probably a day or so."

"A day? You're kidding!" Trunks exclaimed, almost forgetting to stand still.

I tried to stop myself from laughing at his situation but maybe the process would help him.

"I'm going to do more of my training in the meantime," I told them as they nodded.

They all had really priceless expressions. I wonder if I'd be able to concentrate on training.

* * *

I was right; I was hardly able to concentrate. Trunks was now in the powering up stage but I could tell he was getting frustrated as Old Kai fell asleep and read dirty magazines. Although, it would be worth it if he powered up and didn't have to go Super Saiyan 2. I wish he didn't have to experience a death in order to ascend to the next level so hopefully this training would help to avoid that. Things were changing now and hopefully it would be for the better. Yet, somehow I had a sickening feeling in my stomach.

I would be more useful if I could just figure out how to use my energy. I didn't believe I had any but I had to believe it somehow. I was here after all and that was as unbelievable as it gets. Come on, I had to tell myself to concentrate and believe. For what seemed like forever I closed my eyes and looked inward. Like always there was nothing and then like a sudden flame in the darkness I could feel something I hadn't before. Was this the feeling of my own energy?

Happy that I could actually feel something for once, I opened my eyes and was about to express my jubilance but that's when it happened. Kibito turned around, looking frightened.

"Babidi is on the move," Kibito said while Shin wore a serious but nervous expression.

Trunks heard this and asked the old Kai, "How much longer?"

Old Kai woke up from his sleep, annoyed, "You still have ten more hours."

Trunks seemed agitated and got up.

"Wait, what are you doing? I told you we aren't done yet," Old Kai questioned.

"I'm sorry," Trunks said seriously with his fists clenched, "but I don't want to miss this chance. If he's shown himself now then it means he's close to completing the energy he needs."

"Trunks is right," Shin worried, "We can't let him complete Buu. We'll go to Earth right away."

"No," Kibito interjected, "You should stay here Supreme Kai. I'll take Trunks to Earth. You are too valuable to lose."

"I don't know if that will work," I commented as they turned their attention to me, "Babidi is most likely showing himself now to draw out the Supreme Kai and gather the last of the energy he needs from the battle so if Shin doesn't show up he might go back into hiding."

"Are you certain?" Kibito questioned seriously.

I rubbed my arm, "I'm really not certain of anything because things have changed from what I knew but if you really are going to fight him now then the Supreme Kai should be there, at least until Babidi truly shows himself. Right now he only sent out distractions in order to lure Shin there."

"Then I'll go," Shin said with determination.

Trunks and Kibito seemed to understand the situation as well. They gathered up and I was about to go too until Trunks stopped me.

"Stay here," he said firmly.

"I, but, we are going back aren't we?" I said, a little confused.

"Yes, but it's safer here. Once Debura and Babidi are out of the way, we'll come back for you," he explained.

At first I was going to argue but I'm sensible enough to know that I would just be in the way. I couldn't help or fight. I was just worried that things wouldn't turn out.

"You promise?" I asked.

"Yeah," he smiled, "We'll be back soon."

I nodded, "Alright, remember what I told you about them. Debura's spit can turn anything it touches to stone and Yakon is fast for his size. Also, remember to stay safe."

"Right," he said understandingly before they disappeared.

I stared at the spot where they left and couldn't help but worry. I just had to have faith in them. I needed to have faith that my knowledge would help them in some way. That's all I could do.

"Not even a goodbye. No respect from young people these days. Well at least I'm left me here with the lady," Old Kai laughed.

I frowned. I forgot that I was now alone with the pervert. I'd be safer here, yeah right. I hoped they'd return soon.

* * *

As minutes slugged by like hours, I paced back and forth to expend my anxious energy. I found myself biting my nails as I wondered how everyone was faring.

"It's boring if we can't see what is going on," Old Kai said while materializing a crystal ball.

I lit up, "Oh, that's right. I forgot about the crystal ball."

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad. I practically leapt over to the clear orb while the Kai sat down and put his hands over it. An image was summoned of Trunks fighting Pui Pui. It looked like he was having no problem at all. I admit that I wasn't really worried about them; it was mostly Debura that consumed my fears. I was concentrating so much on the battle that I didn't notice Old Kai's serious expression.

"So where did a human like you meet Celeste?" Old Kai questioned.

When I looked up at him, he was hovering his hands over the ball but he looked at me almost accusingly.

"Who's Celeste?" why did he suddenly ask that?

"The god possessing your body," he stated flatly.

"Wait a second, the god in my body has a name?" I asked. Nobody had said a name when referring to the god that possessed me before.

"Well of course she does, or did you not think to ask," the old Kai scowled.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "I don't remember how I became a human god."

"You don't remember?" he almost exclaimed.

"Did you know the god in my body?" I questioned curiously.

"Yes," he said but looked concerned about something, "I met her once a long time ago. She was quiet but feisty when you got on her bad side. She mostly kept to herself since she guarded the space in between the universes. I don't know why a high ranking god would possess a human or why she would need to."

Spaces in between universes? As the old Kai shuffled through his thoughts I got the feeling that he was looking for an opportunity to talk to me this whole time. It was strange how serious he had suddenly become when everyone was gone.

"What if I told you that I'm not from this universe or even this dimension," I said while gauging how he would react.

I don't know if he was expecting me to say that but he didn't seem surprised, only angry, "What was she thinking? She's not supposed to allow anyone to move between the universes. If the space is left unguarded then who knows what might escape between them. Just letting you through like this already upsets the balance."

"I'm sorry," I apologized while looking down at the ball that showed Trunks now fighting Yakon, "I didn't mean to come here and I don't even remember how I came here either."

The old man huffed, "There must be a reason she would possess you."

I thought for a moment, "Maybe . . . it was because I knew the future of this world."

The Kai scoffed, "She knows it is not our job to interfere."

"But you don't know that this will all disappear into an endless void. Nothing will exist! No gods, humans or anything! I don't want that to happen!" I shouted, startling him.

"A void?" he questioned.

I went on to explain some events of the future all stemming from the death of the current Supreme Kai. I had to give this guy credit, he was keeping up with the information I was giving him very well. He didn't even flinch when I said I was from another dimension or said I knew the future.

"So Shin must live," I ended and sighed, "I'm just trying not to change too many things besides that. I don't want to interfere much but at the same time I don't want to see everything disappear."

Old Kai closed his eyes and pondered for a while.

"It might be alright as long as you are returned after your task is complete. Once a human god completes their task the god will separate and then Celeste can return you to your home," the Kai explained.

Really? I'd be able to go home. For a while I had given up hope on ever going home again but as soon as I was done doing what I needed to do here then I would go home. If that was saving Shin then I would be leaving soon. It all just felt so sudden. I wanted to go home for a long time and now I wasn't sure.

Yakon was down. Debura and Babidi had shown themselves and were talking to them about something. There was no sound so I couldn't hear what it was about. I watched Super Saiyan Trunks in his regular clothes and his other sword, shout something at them. I wonder if Kibito had materialized his sword for him as well when he gave him back his clothes.

"If you really don't want to interfere then you will go home when the time comes," Old Kai said seriously while staring at me.

I don't know if he was put off by my silence or something but I guess he felt that he needed to say that.

"Right," I forced out, "I understand."

I didn't belong here. I knew that after the events of this timeline were fixed then I had no purpose here. That had to be my task, right? For once I finally felt that my time here was limited and I was foolish to think otherwise.

While I tried to sort out my thoughts and convince myself that everything would work out, Old Kai flinched, "Get out of there! What is he doing?"

I directed my attention back to the orb. I hadn't seen how but things had taken a turn for the worst. They all looked worn out while Kibito laid unconscious in the dirt. Shin had launched an attack on Babidi but was knocked back by Debura. The Supreme Kai hit the ground hard but was still conscious. Trunks looked like he was struggling to keep up with Debura's speed as he tried to defend Shin. His sword had already turned to stone so he was holding back Debura's blade with his hands. Babidi took the time to stomp Shin.

No, this couldn't be. Things weren't exactly the same but if this continued then Shin would die again. I didn't want that to happen. Should I have done more? I didn't like feeling so powerless. There had to be some way to change this. Come on, think!

I clenched my fists without even realizing it and gritted my teeth. There had to be something I could do. There had to be _something_!

As if to answer my dismay, a pulse rippled through my body. It was like the energy I had briefly felt before only I didn't feel like I had any control over it. With a sudden vacuum wind, the last thing I saw was Old Kai's troubled expression before the scene changed to a broken up field. In front of me was the image from the crystal ball only I was actually there now. Trunks was fighting Debura while Babidi was still stomping Shin.

"I'm glad I'll get to kill you myself!" Babidi laughed as he got ready to use his magic.

This was it, I had to do something. I don't know how I got here but I could finally do something.

I shot up and ran at the small green sorcerer. I didn't know what I was going to do but I just let my instincts guide me. I was glad he didn't seem to notice me when I grabbed his arm and flung him as far as I could. The little alien was weak after all and caught by surprise so he didn't even resist when he flew some meters away.

He growled, "Who the hell are you? Don't you know who you're messing with you stupid human!"

"I don't care who you are! Stay away from Shin!" I shouted at him as I positioned myself between him and the Kai.

I was scared but this was nothing compared to what was to come. It was either risk my life here or get destroyed by Goku Black later. Honestly, I'd rather take my chances with the former.

The little sorcerer grinned maliciously, "You talk awfully mighty for a weak human."

He held up his hand as my breath was cut off. It felt like something was choking me but nothing was there.

Although it wasn't long before I heard Trunks yell, "Hope!"

Trunks had sent an energy blast at Babidi but Debura was right there to defend him. Luckily the distraction released me from the magic as I tried to catch my breath. I saw that Trunks was now in front of me, facing off against the red demon and the small agitated sorcerer.

"Debura! What are you doing bringing the fight over here?" Babidi complained loudly.

"I'm sorry, master," Debura said in his cool voice, "He got away from me for a moment, but it won't happen again."

"Hope, run now!" Trunks yelled before he shot a blast at the demon then lunged at him.

They moved faster than I could imagine but I didn't know if I could leave Shin. That's right, Shin. I turned around and examined him but he was beat up pretty badly. His cuts and mouth were bleeding an indigo blood.

"Shin! Shin are you alright?" I asked frantically while trying to wake him but it looked like he was just in pain.

He opened one eye and strained himself to speak, "What are you doing here?"

"That doesn't matter. You need to live Shin. We need to get you out of here," I said quickly, "I'll try to carry you if you can't stand."

"No you won't! The Supreme Kai's life is mine!" Babidi shouted while he held up a hand and sent me flying backwards.

I tumbled and hissed from the pain of the impact with the ground.

"Babidi," Shin growled lowly, forcing himself to try and get up.

In what seemed like a second, someone grabbed me and pulled me aside as debri shot up in the air from a blast of ki.

Trunks glared at me with a mix of anger and concern as he held me out in front of him, "What are you doing? I told you to run!"

From behind him I could see Debura and with a glint in his eye I saw what he was doing. Everything had happened so fast and I don't know how I was able to do it or why I did it, but I thrust my arm forward past Trunks and caught the spit. His eyes widened as I shoved him away from me quickly.

I was losing feeling fast as my skin turned hard and gray. The last thing I saw was Trunks' wide eyed expression, his mouth slightly open. He had dirt and cuts on his body and his mouth was slightly bleeding. Come to think of it, I never really got to see him in Super Saiyan form since I arrived here. It was kind of embarrassing because I had touched his hair when trying to expose their lies. I didn't even believe he was real at that time. Now here I was, watching him desperately hold a hand out although he knew he couldn't touch me.

"Defeat them Trunks. I know you can save your world," I said before the numbness reached my head.

My vision went black. Was this the end for me? If he defeated Debura then I would go back to normal right? Well, as long as I didn't shatter. I wonder if Trunks knew that. I don't remember if I ever told him anything other than to avoid the stone spit. Maybe I would just die from my own stupidity. No, I just had to hope that Shin wouldn't die and Trunks would defeat Debura so I could wake up again. I didn't want everything to be lost.

Trunks, I'm sorry I couldn't do more. Even if the Kais say I have a god inside me, I'm still only human. Just a stupid powerless human, wishing for a peaceful world.

My mind slowed as the stone completely consumed me and all thoughts ceased.

* * *

 **Notes:** I want to be clear that most gods think of any intelligent being as a "human" while people on Earth don't really thinks of other beings as human. Usually gods will think of Earthlings and Saiyans as both "humans" while Earthlings will think of themselves as "humans" and beings from other planets as "aliens". In this story you can see it in the way Trunks, Hope, Shin, Kibito, Old Kai and other characters all refer to people in these different views.

Also, this "human god" concept comes from the practice of shamans receiving a god. Often if a god possesses a human they can become sick and must accept the god or go through a ritual to cure the sickness. Often times people who are possessed by a god are said to have been born to receive the god. Although the "human god" concept in my story is a bit different, it was at least based off of this practice.

During this story I use the word "god" for both male and female gods. I actually prefer the ambiguity when referring to them. So I'm sorry if I don't use the term "goddess" in this story.

Shin and Kibito where watching the earth carefully and knew of Trunks and his abilities for a while. Also, when they were training with the Z Sword, they had actually finished the training early and that's why the timing of events was off, changing things. Old Kai was only attracted to Hope because he had been sealed for a long time and he was really eager to see a female. It's not to say that Hope is exceptional in the looks department but perverts are perverts after all.

Although Hope knows the future and communicates it to people, she really doesn't go into a lot of detail. So, people like Shin, Kibito and even Trunks are unaware of how much she really knows. In this chapter you can see it in how she never mentions god ki and other things she thought were unnecessary to mention. It's a hard balance when trying to change things but not completely derail events. We'll see if she made things better or worse in the next chapter.  
Some things are better off said but some things are also better off unsaid.


	6. Dilemma

**Notes:** So I'm back updating this a month later. Thanks for reviewing everyone and thank you  evy for reminding me to update this. Honestly, once a month at the very least is not a bad update for me considering I updated another story not too long ago. Also, if you want to know about the progress of updates on this story or any other one I am working on or just want to see what I am doing: you can go to my profile. I update it regularly and I revamped it recently. Now I have percentages to completion of the next chapter there and indications of what I am working on. (If there is nothing by the chapters such as "In Progress" or "Editing" then I am not working on anything at that moment.) Anyway, you'll see if you go to my profile. It's just something for people who are curious as to when things will be updated. On another note, I am moving long distance soon so expect updates to be slow for a while. Writing takes a lot of time and energy. The more writing I do on one story the more I have to keep track of as well.

The reasons this came out so late is because: timelines, universes and dimensions. I am very familiar with DBZ but not DBS. I did a lot of research on timelines, characters, concepts and theories. I took a lot of time to plan out the plot for the rest of the story and events that might happen but it is so complicated to try to coordinate timelines and dimensions. I keep changing my mind for what will happen and try to piece together what would make the most sense in this case and I shortened the plot so it would only take up one season (if it were a series) or so but there is a lot of potential to make more of this story if I so chose.

By the way, I won't be going over any Xenoverse, DB movies or Dragon Ball GT in this story. Okay, maybe I will use a little of the DB movies and Xenoverse stuff but only to fill holes if I need to because it's way too much to keep up. I will use the name Chronoa and her character later on and very briefly but only because I needed a god of time in the series and one happened to conveniently exist already.

* * *

 **6\. Dilemma**

* * *

He had no idea how she got here but why didn't she run? Why was everything falling apart? He had prepared for this yet everything was sinking into despair. He held out his hand for her but he knew that he couldn't touch her or he would be turned to stone as well. Why didn't she look frightened? Why did she give him that sad but hopeful smile that would forever be frozen on her face?

"Defeat them Trunks. I know you can save your world," she said before her eyes turned grey and hard.

She believed in him. She believed all along that he could protect everyone but he couldn't even protect the people standing right in front of him. He couldn't protect her. Was he only meant to gain in order to lose it right away? The peace they earned, could it just be torn away so easily?

He felt the tethered energy fade as her form became nothing but a statue.

Did she come here just to die like this? He promised he would find a way to send her home. Even if she wasn't from this world, she tried to save it with everything she had. She made him feel like there was hope again. Yet here he was, powerless to save her. He didn't want to get too close because he knew she would leave yet somehow it hurt all the same. Would things have been different if he asked her to stay? If he told her that he . . .

Hot tears formed in his eyes threatened to fall as he balled his fists.

Those monsters! Those bastards! They took everything from him: his childhood, his father, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiautzu and Piccolo! Images of the Androids, Cell, Debura, Babidi and everyone he fought ran through his mind. They had even taken Gohan and now Hope. Shin was still alive; there was still a chance. They wouldn't take Shin! They wouldn't take his mother! They weren't going to take the peace of this world! They weren't going to take the future!

"You bastards," he growled shakenly, "You've pushed me to my breaking point."

His mind was consumed by his rage. Power surged forth from deep inside his body, spilling over and emanating from every pore. The ground shook and cracked while loose rocks shot up in the air. His energy sparked around him as he settled into the new level of power. Debura stared, astonished by the sudden spike in ki.

"We've finally attained peace for our world!" Trunks firmly shouted, "I won't let that hard work be undone by some asshole like you!"

With unmatched speed and agility, he lunged at Debura. He let loose a flurry of punches then a hard kick sent the demon flying.

Debura landed like a cat near Babidi who fretted, "Wh-what just happened? Am I imagining things or did her just get a bit stronger?"

The red demon smirked and spoke in a cool level tone, "It's highly likely that anger or rage gives his species a power boost but fear not, even at that level, he poses no real threat to m-"

Trunks flew at him in a flash, delivering another powerful kick which sent both the demon and the sorcerer backward.

The small alien screamed at his servant but ended up getting crushed by the demon then crashed into the ground. Debura crouched in front of his master.

"Curse you!" he yelled then summoned his spear and was about to launch it at the Saiyan but then found himself paralyzed.

"What's is this? My body . . . won't move," he struggled to say but glanced back at the Supreme Kai.

"Trunks, hurry! Deliver the finishing blow while you can!" Shin shouted while holding his hand out to keep the demon at bay with his power.

Trunks made many quick movements before spreading his hands, letting the index fingers and thumbs touch.

A panicking Debura started to sweat, "Wait! Stop! Hold on a-"

"I won't let you leave a mark on our history!" he yelled as a massive Burning Attack shot out at the two villainess creatures, completely incinerating them.

The blast carved out the ground while dust and rocks crashed down. As the commotion settled, he powered down. Huffing, Trunks looked around to see Shin crawling nearby.

"We really did it. The peace of the universe is no longer threatened," he said before collapsing.

"Supreme Kai!" Trunks shouted before going over to help him.

He couldn't die or it would have all been for nothing. Kneeling down next to him, Trunks could tell that he was still breathing. He was just passed out for now but would he be okay? Maybe Kibito would still have some energy left to heal him. Trunks turned to find the guardian Kai but instead froze as his heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be. There in front of him, Hope stood looking a little dazed.

She was checking her hands and testing her movement, "I'm back to normal. That was weird."

Gazing around she spotted him and smiled, making her way over to him, "Trunks, you did it!"

Was he just seeing things? Wasn't she turned to stone? Had he finally lost it this time?

"Trunks are you alright?" she asked in front of him only to look around more, "Where's the Supreme Kai? Don't tell me he-"

He pulled her close and hugged her tightly. She definitely felt real; she was warm and soft. There was nothing stone-like about her. Even her ki and the tether were there again. She was alive! He could hardly believe it.

"T-Trunks," she stuttered softly.

He noticed that she wasn't even hugging back. Parting from her, he saw that she was beet red with a shocked expression on her face. He couldn't help but grin in spite of himself, just happy she was alright.

She adverted her eyes, embarrassed, but then noticed something, "Shin!"

She then ran over to the Supreme Kai to check on him. Things weren't over yet. They needed to make sure the Supreme Kai would live. He needed to check on Kibito and hopefully he had enough energy to heal Shin.

Just knowing that Hope was alive gave him new energy. Even his injuries didn't hurt as much anymore. He hadn't realized it before but he really didn't want to lose her. She had become part of his life. At first he didn't want to admit it but somehow he didn't want to let her go. He thought he could send her home and be fine if he just kept some distance but it was too late. He couldn't lose her ever again.

* * *

"Shin are you alright?" I said while kneeling down next to the Kai.

I checked on him to see he was still breathing. Good, he wasn't dead. Or at least, he wasn't dead _yet_. I wished I could do something for him. If only we had senzu beans. It was just worrying me: would he be alright?

I heard footsteps and looked over to see Trunks walk up beside me, "Kibito is in pretty bad shape as well."

I didn't notice before but Trunks was in bad shape himself; he had scratches, bruises, dirt and torn clothes. Everything and everyone was a wreck at this point. At least Trunks could still move.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" I asked hopefully but the look on his face wasn't reassuring.

He adverted his eyes, "I don't know. I think they might."

Shin made a small painful noise bringing my attention back to him. His body went suddenly still. Panicked, I quickly checked his pulse: it was weakening.

"Shin!" I yelled desperately encouraging him to respond.

Was he really going to die? He couldn't be! He can't! I should have tried harder. I could have prepared better. I should have said more. I shouldn't have let him go. All I could do was regret.

"Don't die!" is all I could say over and over again as frustrated tears began to fall from my eyes.

I didn't even know what I could do to help him. I just stupidly pressed my hands on him trying to keep his heart going but I had no idea what I was doing. It was all futile; it meant nothing.

"Hope, stop! I'll take him to a doctor; it'll be fine," he tried to calm me down while gently trying to pry me away.

I don't know if he was just saying that to try to put me at ease but it didn't work. I didn't believe him. What could a doctor do? Shin had died before and I was stupid to think I could change that. Why did I have to be so utterly powerless? I just wanted to help yet I couldn't do anything.

In between my dark cloud of doubt and desire to help, I noticed a strange pulse again. It was something I had no control over. A strange light emanated from my hands and dizziness invaded my mind. Before I even realized it, I had blacked out.

"Hope! Wake up," someone was calling for me but it sounded like it was underwater.

It was hard to open my eyes and my muscles felt extremely heavy. Somehow I was lying partially on his lap which immediately connected to my memories of him hugging me earlier. Even though I was drained of energy I was still able to make a fool of myself by freaking out and falling off his lap onto the hard ground. It hurt more than it should have considering I only fell a few inches and I groaned. What happened to me?

"Hey, it's alright. It's just me," Trunks said leaning over me with searching eyes.

He looked concerned. I couldn't tell him that was exactly why I was freaking out: because it was him.

"Good, you're awake," another voice said happily.

I turned my head the other way to see Shin looking well, although he still had dirt and some blood still left on him. Wait, Shin!

"Shin, you're alive!" I nearly yelled but it came out as a gasp; I still felt sluggish.

I coughed. This feeling was familiar. It was kind of like when I first came here. My mind was still catching up to the events around me. Shin wasn't doing great so I had started cry and now he seemed fine. What happened after I passed out?

"Take it easy," Trunks warned, "You lost a lot of energy when you healed the Supreme Kai."

"What?" I couldn't help but wonder if he was serious, "I healed him?"

"Yeah," he smiled softly down at me, "you healed him and then passed out. I felt your ki drop so suddenly I didn't know if you would wake up again."

My previous embarrassment was coming back until I noticed someone stubble over to us.

"Supreme Kai, you are safe," he said while holding his left arm.

"Kibito," Shin greeted while going to check on his friend and guardian.

I slowly sat up. Trunks put his hands out as if I could break at any moment. I smiled at the scene in front of me. Even if we weren't in the best shape, we had all made it by some sort of luck. I was so glad that everything turned out okay in the end.

Although, the universe always found a way to remind me that I shouldn't get too comfortable. Trunks had suddenly jumped to his feet. I didn't know if I had ever seen him look so perturbed before. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly agape. Shin and Kibito were in a similar state all focused in the same direction. I followed their line of sight and could barely make out something up on a cliff. All I knew is that my stomach felt sick, like I could barely resist the urge to throw up. With a small flash, the figure had disappeared but the nasty feeling lingered.

"Who was that?" Shin questioned shakenly.

"He really did look like him," Trunks said with a mix of anger and shock.

Wait, so that was him? That was Goku Black? He was there so suddenly and then gone. How long had he been there? Did he leave to a different timeline already? He wouldn't come back to this one would he?

"So that was him wasn't it, the one that took Goku's body?" Trunks questioned me as I stared up at his serious face.

I nodded, still feeling sick and weak, "I believe so."

"That was the strong enemy you were talking about?" Shin questioned as well. I didn't tell him much about Goku Black.

"Yes, it was," I said simply, while keeping my eyes low.

"He had the ki of a Kai as well," Kibito stated, his tone was heavy, "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"We should go back to the Sacred Sphere for now," Shin suggested.

Trunks nodded then picked me up. I worried about his injuries but he said that he had been in worse conditions. The light triumph of victory from before had all but fizzled into a fear of this new person. I would have liked to tell them that he wouldn't be coming back but since so much had changed I didn't know what to say. We gathered around Shin who transported us to the Sacred Sphere where Old Kai was waiting with his hands held behind his back like always.

"It's about time. You shouldn't keep an old man waiting," he scolded.

"I'm sorry Elder," Shin apologized while bowing respectively.

"Keep your apologies, you could have gotten yourself killed. As a Supreme Kai you should be more responsible," the old Kai frowned.

"You don't have to yell at him. Everything turned out alright," I couldn't help but interject.

"You, human god," Old Kai nearly glared accusingly, "have some explaining to do. You're task wasn't to save Shin was it? It has something to do with the man that showed up on cliff."

I didn't realize it but he was right? Shin was alright but the god was still in my body. Didn't he say that the god would separate when I completed my task? Was there something else I needed to do? Did it really have something to do with Goku Black?

"I don't know," I admitted, feeling foolish. At this point I had no idea what the future would hold and it was frightening.

"Can you tell us about him?" Shin asked curiously. He seemed frightened as well. As he should be when it came to a person like that.

"I can, but just know that things have changed so everything I know isn't certain anymore," I warned before I started to explain.

Trunks had put me down on the ground where I told them about Goku Black and how he was a Supreme Kai in training called Zamasu from Universe 10 who stole the body of a strong fighter named Goku. He then traveled the timelines using the Time Rings to find a perfect setting to start his Zero Mortals Plan. He would then travel to this timeline, if it was the same timeline, to see that the Supreme Kai was dead meaning the God of Destruction was too. So he would ally with himself from this timeline making him immortal by using the Super Dragon Balls. He would then destroy the Super Dragon Balls so no one could oppose him. I even explained that he would make this timeline an endless void but would be defeated even if I didn't interfere. Although I wasn't sure if this was the same timeline any more or what would happen now that things were different.

Shin had no idea the Super Dragon Balls or the Time Rings existed or that the God of Destruction was even life linked to him. Old Kai was surprised that Shin didn't have this knowledge when he should have been taught during training. Shin went on to explain that he never really received a formal training because everyone, including the previous Supreme Kai, was killed before he could be informed. The old Kai then understood better how Shin could be so reckless having been thrown into the job by default. He then realized that training Shin to be a better Supreme Kai would become his new purpose.

"There's still the matter of whether this 'Goku Black' will return and seek the Zamasu here or not," Old Kai stroked his small beard thoughtfully.

I was feeling much better by now so I was glad I could be enthusiastic about defending my point, "Whether he does or not isn't even the issue. The Zamasu here is still dangerous. If Goku Black does seek him out then he will be immortal and unstoppable but even if he doesn't, the Zamasu here has the potential to kill his master and try to make his Zero Mortals Plan in a different way. Because things have changed, I'm not sure if something else might trigger him to do it."

"We can't punish gods for crimes they haven't even committed," Old Kai frowned.

"This is all about prevention. We could at least confront him about it, although I admit it would be better if we asked Beerus to help us, just in case he tried anything," I suggested but was unsure.

"Is he really that strong?" Trunks questioned.

"He can be," I answered seriously.

Old Kai laughed, "What makes you think you can persuade a God of Destruction like Beerus to help you? He doesn't listen to anyone. You'd only get yourself killed."

"Or sealed in a sword," I teased sarcastically as I watched him pout.

"What I mean is that you should let that sleeping cat lie," the old Kai frowned, "He'll do a lot more damage than good. The best we can do is prepare for this Goku Black in case he comes back."

"By doing what?" I nearly shouted, "Training? I told you how strong he is. Even with Goku and Vegeta's help, he was a tough opponent. What do you expect we can do here?"

"We can let things be. It isn't certain that he will come back or that Zamasu will carry out his plans here and it isn't a human's place to interfere with time. You've done enough already," Old Kai scoffed.

I wasn't having it, "If I didn't _interfere_ then that stupid Z Sword wouldn't have broken and you wouldn't even be here to have an opinion."

Shin, Kibito and Trunks were quiet as they watched the heated argument between Old Kai and myself. Sparks flew between us while Shin felt this was a good time to interrupt.

"Maybe we shouldn't be rash and think about this for a few days," he suggested.

"But Goku Black could be allying with himself already and looking for the Super Dragon Balls," I pointed out.

"Hope," Trunks said as I turned to him, "Are you certain that he is still here?"

His concerned eyes searched for an answer in mine but I couldn't provide one. He was still dirty and worn out from the battle with Debura. Even if we did anything right now, no one was in any condition to be of proper help. Maybe I was being rash.

Looking down I admitted, "No, I can't be certain."

"Then we should take a few days to recover and figure out our next move," Shin suggested.

Old Kai had his arms crossed and looked like he was pondering something, "I agree."

"I'm with the Supreme Kai as well," Kibito put in.

I could see that I was outnumbered, "Right."

Trunks nodded.

"Then I will take you home and we'll meet again in a few days," Shin stated, getting ready to teleport.

Defeated, I got up with Trunks and we were transported back to Earth next to West City. Shin had Kibito take some time to heal Trunks in thanks but Kibito was still weak from earlier so Trunks ended up mostly healed. Shin apologized that he couldn't do more but hopefully when they saw each other again days from now then he would be able to thank him properly for his help. Trunks brushed it off saying it was nothing but the Supreme Kai was one to not let it go. He would make sure to pay him back.

After Shin left, Trunks flew us a short distance back to the city. He was carrying me in his arms and I couldn't help but feel bad. Things were alright for now but I didn't know if I had accidentally set off a chain of worse things to come. Beyond this point was all unknown. Shin was alive and that was all that mattered for a while but now I was uncertain. Was that all it took to save this timeline? What was my task?

We landed on the balcony of the building and went inside from there as to avoid anyone that might see them in front of the building. It was already dusk by the time we had gotten back.

Trunks was going to look for Bulma but then a stern voice rang out, "There you two are. You just elope one day and don't contact me or anything!"

"Elope?" Trunks repeated, clearly scared of his mom as she stomped over to him but he stood his ground.

If anything, I thought she looked kind of tired. Her hair wasn't brushed and she had some dark circles under her eyes.

"You two go out for picnic and don't come back for nearly a week! What am I supposed to think?" she scolded then noticed the tattered clothes, dirt and blood stains.

Her voice softened with concern as she looked between us, "What happened? Are you both alright?"

We then explained what happened with Babidi and his henchmen. We even explained about Goku Black and the fact that the future was now uncertain.

"I'm just happy that you're both alive," she smiled at us only to frown teasingly, "but you still could have contacted me."

"We were on a different planet," Trunks said defensively.

"No excuses," she crossed her arms, "You could have contacted me before you left."

Trunks sighed but he was used to this kind of thing. Although she acted mad, even I knew she was just worried and glad that we were back. She was really happy that things had worked out but if this Goku Black really did come back or Zamasu tried to carry out his plans then she had the time machine ready to go at any moment. She sent us off to get washed up and put on new clothes before she helped bandage up the minor wounds that were left on Trunks. I only had a few scratches that I hadn't even noticed. We ended up eating dinner together and I told her more about Goku Black like I did with everyone else earlier. Surprisingly she didn't seem bothered at all. Maybe it was because Bulma always stayed positive and thought of a backup plan.

No matter what, I found myself still bothered. Later in the night, I stood out on the balcony under the quiet sky. It always surprised me how well I could see the stars even though I was in a city. I couldn't help but think that somehow I screwed up. I shouldn't feel that way but I had this sick pit in my stomach. What would happen next? Had I changed things for the better? Was there something I was missing? There had to be something that went wrong.

I heard the door open and close and when I glanced back I saw Trunks.

"Can't sleep?" he asked and joining me under the sky.

"Yeah," I answered simply, "You can't sleep either?"

"Actually, I could sense that you were out here for a while and I just thought I'd check up on you," he said while leaning on the railing, "You were kind of quite after the whole thing with Old Kai. Do you really think that . . . Goku Black will come back?"

I sighed, "No, not really. If Shin is alive and this really is a new alternate timeline then he would have no reason to come back. He would just go to the one where Shin died. That still doesn't mean that the Zamasu here couldn't start his plans in a different way. It just bothers me that I can't be sure. It feels like I'm missing something."

I hadn't even noticed I was biting my nails until they started to hurt.

"I know that feeling," Trunks looked up at the stars, "that's just how it feels to change the past: never ending uncertainty. You don't know if things will turn out better or worse but I think it's better to try when you know the future won't turn out."

He turned to smile at me but I avoided him and looked down at my hands as I fidgeted, "I'm sorry Trunks."

"Huh? For what?" his asked, confused.

"I just feel like I could do more," I sighed, "I feel like I'm expecting a lot from you without really giving anything in return. I didn't even tell you that people who turn to stone are able to come back if you defeat Debura but I just expected you to defeat him. I didn't even think to say anything about it. I just expected it. I think that would be a lot of pressure to put on someone. I just feel like I should do more besides watch."

Part of his face was hidden by his hair as he looked down, "I didn't really think of it as pressure. You said you believed in me so I thought of it as encouragement. I can't even be upset if there are things you forgot to tell me," he put a hand to his head, "I didn't even tell Goku what the androids looked like when I warned him about the future because I didn't think it would change."

He then turned to look at me with a soft expression, "I know you think you didn't do enough but you healed the Supreme Kai and you gave us hope again. That's more than I could ask for."

I could feel myself start to blush so I turned away to hide my face. When did he become a sweet talker?

"You're being kind of cheesy aren't you?" I said to try to lighten the serious mood and hide my embarrassment.

"I guess so," he replied while rubbing the back of his head, "but I mean, if you really think you could do more . . . there is one thing I can think of. I not sure you'd be able to do it though."

"What is it?" I asked, eager to be of any help.

He shifted nervously. I couldn't exactly read his face well.

"There's just one question I'd like you to answer," he said moving closer.

I was in the corner of the railing so there wasn't any where I could go. It's like he cornered me on purpose. What would he want to ask me that he would request it like this? It was starting to make me nervous.

"O-kay," I said slowly.

I couldn't see his eyes behind his hair until he lifted his head and shot those deep blue eyes into mine, "Will you . . . stay here . . . with me?"

He had asked the question slowly which confused me a little, "What . . . do you mean?"

He was really close and moved in closer. My heart began to pound. This seemed way too intimate. My mind felt like it was blank and I closed my eyes when I felt his lips press against mine. It was deep yet simple kiss. I don't know if it had happened fast or just felt like it did, but it definitely got his point across.

When he parted I looked in his eyes again as he repeated his question, "Will you stay here . . . with me?"

Now I understood but I couldn't believe it at the same time.

"Trunks, why?" is all I could get out; I was so confused. This wasn't supposed to happen.

He sighed looking like he had some sort of inner turmoil going on, "I know it's selfish of me to ask but I had thought before that if we stayed friends then I could send you home without a problem. Only, the more time I spent with you the more I didn't want you to leave. When you were turned to stone I thought I lost you forever and I never felt that kind of pain so strongly before. I realized then that I never want to lose you."

It almost looked like he was in pain just remembering it. His hands dug into the railing turning his knuckles white as his eyes were lost in memories but came back to reality as he looked away.

"But I know you aren't from here so I can't make that decision for you. I promised I would find a way to get you back home but I wanted to know if you would consider staying," he finished but remained tense, nearly holding his breath.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, "Are you saying that you fell in love with me?"

I felt like I could hardly breathe.

His face went red and he smirked, "Yeah, I love you."

Tears began to fall from my eyes but I couldn't stop them. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was happy but at the same time he had loved someone else in a different timeline. Fear and doubt had started to take over my mind. He had loved Mai in another timeline, who's to say he wouldn't dump me when he finally met her? I didn't know if I could take that kind of heartbreak.

He looked like he didn't know what to do when he saw that I was crying.

A mix of hurt and worry dripped from his voice, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no, no," I tried to say, I didn't want him to think I was rejecting him but at the same time I couldn't keep this in anymore, "it's just that you love someone else."

He was puzzled, "What do you mean?"

I couldn't look at him when saying this, "There's something I need to tell you, something important."

He backed away, giving me some space and looked serious, "What is it?"

Why was I screwing this up for myself? Well, it's not like I could stay anyway. I had to go home eventually and it would be too much for me to take to be with him only to know that he would go to someone else.

I took a couple deep breaths before spilling the information I dreaded, not even looking in his direction, "In the original future of this world you had gone back in time to save your future. There was someone else there, someone very important to you. I don't know how you both met but it looked like you supported each other during the horrible times when Goku Black was hunting down every mortal. You were even going to take her back in time with you until Goku Black attacked and you thought he killed her. It devastated you and you reluctantly went back in time without her. Only when you came back with Goku and Vegeta you found out she was alright. You seemed to do anything to protect her and you both are miraculously able to stay together after all of it."

He listened quietly, not making any movements. The tears kept falling and I couldn't stop them. Now he finally knew.

I looked up at his incomprehensible expression and smiled, "The person you care for the most, isn't me."

I sighed once more and stared at the ground, "Because I am a human god, I was told that I have a task to complete. Once that task is done, the god will separate and I will go home."

There was a silence that set in between us while a gentle cool night breeze made me feel suddenly cold and alone.

"I'm going to bed," I said bluntly as I walked past him.

He caught my hand, "Hope, don't go."

It sounded like he was pleading but my heart couldn't take it right now, "Please let me go, Trunks."

I felt his grip slowly slacken until I was free. I made my way to my bedroom and took off my shoes before burying my face into the pillow, not bothering to change. Scratch shifted slightly at the foot of the bed before falling back asleep. I was so stupid. I just didn't want to feel anything right now. Nothing at all.

* * *

Trunks sensed that she was in her room as he passed by. When he entered his own room, he threw off his shoes and jacket before lying on the bed with a hand over his face. He was so stupid. She knew this whole time that he would fall in love with someone from this timeline but he didn't even know who that person was. He would protect her from Goku Black? But hopefully, he wasn't going to show up in this timeline anymore. Still, Trunks understood why Hope didn't tell him about her. It was the same reason he made sure his parents didn't know about him before he was born in the past. Did that mean he would have children with this unknown person?

He turned over in his bed, overwhelmed by the possibilities. This timeline had changed but Hope didn't want to change his relationship with this other person. Hope wasn't meant to exist in this dimension and he knew she had to go home so why couldn't he just let her go. No, maybe there was some way she could stay. She said something about a task she had to complete in order to go home. What if she never completed that task? Would she stay forever then?

He held his head. No, he was being selfish. She probably wanted to go home. She must miss her family. What was he doing asking her to stay? It was just painful to think that he would never see her again. He couldn't just change how he felt about her. Still, she didn't feel the same way about him.

Somewhere in his despair it dawned on him that she never really answered his question. She only spoke of what _might_ happen in the future but things had changed. Right here and right now, he could only think of her and that was all that mattered. He would try to confront her tomorrow and see what she really wanted.

That night he didn't get much sleep at all. He had gotten up early and trained, keeping a close watch on where he sensed her ki but she never moved from her room. He even found himself walking by her room multiple times just to check, but she hadn't come out all day and it was nearly dusk again. She had to come out some time, right? It was beginning to worry him.

Just as he was going to check if she was in there for the hundredth time that day, he sensed her ki on the move. She was out of the room. He nearly raced to see her and caught her before she was going to lock herself back inside the room. He stood in front of the door, blocking her way. She had some food in her hands. So she had decided to leave and get some food.

"We need to talk," he said seriously but her eyes avoided his.

"About what?" she questioned, sounding defensive.

"I know you said I love someone else but that's not true, things are different," he said, trying to get it out in the open.

She bit her lip before answering, "It doesn't matter if they're different. I'll eventually go home and you'll end up with her."

"You don't know that," he spat back at her.

"Old Kai told me that once my task is done I will go back home. You know I'm not supposed exist here. I can't stay," she argued but looked hurt.

He clenched his teeth and growled, "Just forget that for now. What do you want?"

"What do I want?" she repeated, confused.

"Yes," he encouraged, "If none of that mattered, what would you want to do? Do you want to go home?"

"It's not up to me," she refused to answer.

He sighed internally. He didn't want to do this but it looked like he had to, "You said you wanted to do more and I only requested one thing."

Her eyes widened as he spoke.

He knew she wouldn't refuse, "I only wanted you to answer one question honestly. Do you want to stay here with me?"

She bit her lip and stared at the ground. He knew she'd feel too guilty to not answer. He didn't want to play on her weaknesses like this but he needed to know what she really wanted.

Moments felts like an eternity before she quickly nodded. Or at least he thought he saw her nod.

"Does that mean yes?" he asked, hopeful.

"Yes," she said quietly, still keeping her head down.

A smile slowly crept onto his face while a weight lifted off of his heart. She did feel the same way. He knew it. In his excitement, he pulled her close and hugged her tightly before letting her go and giving her a quick kiss. Her face was pricelessly shocked. Maybe he had moved too fast on accident.

"Sorry," he chuckled.

Her eyes went to the floor and he notice that she had dropped the food she was carrying; it was all over the floor.

This time he was truly apologetic, "I'm sorry. I'll get you something else to eat. Just wait here."

He ran off toward the kitchen without even thinking. He was on a high right now and couldn't come down. She wanted to stay with him and it was all he could think about.

* * *

"Trunks, you don't need to do that," I called after him but I don't think he was listening.

Why did I have to be honest like that? I should have said no but I couldn't bring myself to lie. I just didn't want either of us to get hurt.

I bent down to clean up some of the scattered food but a cleaning robot had already come out of the wall to vacuum it up. I sighed, while watching the robot slurp up the pieces. Why did I have to wait here? I could have went the kitchen again myself. It was awkward to stand in front of my room like this. Maybe I would go find him.

I was on my way to the kitchen where I intercepted him on his way back to my room. He didn't seem bothered that I didn't stay in the same spot.

"Here," he handed me a simple bento with chicken, rice and vegetables.

"Thank you," I said with a smile.

Something about his enthusiasm was making me feel better but I needed to tell him what was on my mind.

I held the food nervously in my hands and spoke, "Trunks, I don't want either of us to get hurt. I will most likely leave when my task is done. I don't know what it is or when it'll happen but I just don't want us both to expect this will last forever."

He brushed a lock of hair from my face while smiling, "I'll find a way that you can stay, I promise."

I smirked to lighten the mood, "Didn't you promise me before that you would find a way for me to get back home."

He laughed, "I can't help it that you found it before I did."

"What if there isn't a way that I can stay?" I suggested.

"If there is a way you can go home, I'm sure there's a way that you can stay. I mean, what if you never complete your task?" he offered as a solution.

"Even if that was an option. I don't even know what my task is to avoid it," I said skeptically.

"Well then we'll just have to figure out what it is," he said as a matter of fact, "No matter what, you're not going to have to leave."

I shook my head at his confidence, "What makes you so sure?"

He smirked playfully, "Because whether it's a demon or a god, they'll have to go through me in order to take you away."

I blushed. He really knew how to say some cheesy stuff. Out of nowhere I felt my stomach twist and a large growl escaped it. I was kind of embarrassed, but I hadn't eaten anything all day.

He grinned, "I guess someone is hungry."

"Yeah," I shied away then tried to get the attention off of myself, "Are you hungry? Do you want to come eat with me?"

"Sure," he said as we both went to the kitchen.

It didn't really feel much different than when we normally ate together. The only thing is that he was way giddier at the moment. I had to admit that I was really happy too. I never thought we'd go out in a million years. I didn't even think he would like someone like me. It just really showed that I had no idea what would happen in this timeline anymore.

We were nearly done eating when Bulma had entered the room with a sly look on her face.

"Hello," I greeted in a good mood.

"Hi mom," Trunks greeted as well as she sat across the table smiling at us kind of awkwardly.

"What's up with you?" Trunks questioned.

Bulma just giggled, "You know, I have security camera feed down in my lab."

Trunks visibly froze, "What did you see?"

"Well I had to play it back a few times. The audio isn't that great, but I believe my favorite part was: ' _whether it's a demon or a god, they'll have to go through me in order to take you_ away.' It was like watching a drama," she grinned widely.

Trunks looked mortified as red showed on his cheeks, "You heard all of that?"

I was embarrassed as well, I couldn't even remember everything I said and now it was recorded on security footage.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," she giggled like a school girl, "I didn't even know my son could say such sweet things. I suppose I don't have to worry about you after all. I thought you might end up a stiff in love like your father."

He looked like he wanted to hide while covering his face with is hand.

I laughed a little. Even if I changed a lot of things about this future, I was glad that some things didn't seem to change. I made up my mind that I wouldn't worry about changing too many things from now on. Things were already going down a different path and there was no going back. Shin and Kibito were alive, Old Kai was free, and somehow Trunks chose me. Still, I always had a bad feeling like something just had to go wrong. It was always calm before a huge storm. I just didn't know how long this calm would last.

* * *

 **Notes:** Next chapter we will most likely meet Beerus and Whis. (I say "most likely" because I never know what I'm going to get to in any given chapter. I wanted to get to it in this chapter but things came up and I kind of let a story flow where it needs to.) We may also figure out what Hope's "task" is. Find out on the next exciting episode of Dragon Ball Z. Sorry, I just have to say that when previewing the next chapter. (Edit: This ended up being chapter 8 instead, sorry)

If you wondered why Bulma always seems to know what's going on all the time it's because she does. Well, at least in the Capsule Corp. building. Not only does she have those cameras but she is a bit nosy about their relationship.

If you are wondering about Trunks saying that he was keeping his distance yet there was still that close kiss in chapter 4, well I want to note that even if Shin and Kibito never arrived, he would have pulled back and it wouldn't have happened anyway. I know, disappointing. Also, during the time that we shift over to Trunks' perspective at the end of this chapter, Hope was going through a depressive state. I shifted the perspective because there isn't much to explain when someone is that depressed. Time flies by in nearly and instant with nothing going on. She actually didn't really come to her senses and start feeling again until she went to get food. She happens to be prone to bouts of depression but I know there are some people where it's way more chronic and lasts for longer periods of time. Sometimes depression just happens out of nowhere.


	7. Unknown

**Notes:** So this chapter has that mature content that this is really rated for. I'm usually not one to write smut but I wanted to try it at least once. I'm not entirely happy with it but I think it is at least awkward enough. I don't explain to much in detail because of site rules so some of it is left to the imagination. Yes, it is a little exaggerated for story purposes and I'm sure if you had sex before you would know what exactly is exaggerated. There will be more comments on this a the end of the chapter as well. Also, one reason I am not happy with it is because I don't think it really adds to the story other than furthering their relationship so if you skip that part I'm totally fine with it; you won't miss anything really. This chapter ended up a lot like chapter 4 which is a passage of time chapter.

I didn't get to Beerus in this chapter but I will for sure in the next one. In fact, I'm surprised I even got this chapter out at all or even finished it. So much happened this month and it turns out I'm not moving anymore, my aunt is visiting me out of the blue and I got food poisoning. Who knew so much could happen in such a short amount of time? Honestly the moving thing was very upsetting. Well I suppose I'll have to make the best out of where I am for now. So yeah, it's a miracle that I am even able to release a chapter this month.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited/alerted this story, :) it means a lot to see and hear from you.

* * *

 **7\. Unknown**

* * *

Trunks and I were discussing what we should do considering Zamasu in this universe and thought of what we would do if Goku Black decided to come back for any reason. Trunks seemed determined to train as hard as he could to become stronger than a god yet I wondered if he could. If he obtained Super Saiyan God and even beyond that somehow then maybe he would have a better chance against these enemies, but I didn't know if there was a way to do it in this timeline. There was no way to do a ritual or anything. Although, Trunks was one to surprisingly pass limits without even having to change into a different form.

Speaking of which, I didn't realize that he changed to Super Saiyan 2 during the fight with Debura until we were discussing plans. I mean, I should have known because that's what had happen before but instead it happened because of my ' _death_.' I guess that was the instant he realized that he should have said he loved me earlier.

That also reminded me that I hadn't told him I loved him yet. Well, not directly. I'm sure he knew because it was pretty clear but I really wanted to say it properly. The longer I waited the more awkward it would be once I said it. For goodness sake I was 27 so why was it so difficult? There was just something scary about telling someone you love them for the first time. What will their facial expression be? What will they say? Why did I have to worry about everything? This shouldn't even be a problem.

We were in the living room trying to figure things out. I was sitting on the couch while Trunks was standing and pacing.

"Technically we may have about two years before he comes back, that is, if he does," I reasoned, "Still, I think we should see Beerus."

"You really think that meeting Beerus would be the best option?" he questioned skeptically, "From what you told me, he doesn't seem like he would want to help."

I waved it off, "If Shin is able to help us explain and we bring ramen or something, he might listen."

He rubbed the back of his head, "Hard to think someone as powerful as that would be easily persuaded by noodles in a cup."

"Well think of Goku: he loves food and he's really powerful. It seems like it's a pattern," I joked.

This made him smile, "You might be right."

"That settles it," I clapped my hands together, "If you want to become stronger then you just need to eat more."

He smirked, catching the humor, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Other than that," I continued more seriously, "We should try to finish up your training with the Kais before we meet with Beerus. You should at least master Super Saiyan 2 before going there. I'm hoping Whis will train you but that's kind of a long shot."

I sighed, "I also want to get stronger too so I'm chancing that Shin will help me utilize the god ki I have. I know I could be a lot more help if I could use it."

"Don't push yourself too hard," he said, concerned.

I know he was referring to when I healed Shin and passed out. Both he and I had thought that somehow I had used the god ki without knowing it but it took a toll on my body. The thing is that I really did want to push myself. I wasn't going to get stronger by playing it safe.

"I'll try," I compromised, "but I really want to learn how to heal and use Instantaneous Movement at the very least. I don't think Old Kai will approve of creating new Dragon Balls on Earth. I just think it's better to have them as a safe guard. So if I can learn Instantaneous Movement then we won't have to rely on the Kais to get from planet to planet quickly."

"Are you sure you are ready for that kind of training?" he questioned sternly.

I nodded, "Even if I can't master the techniques then maybe I'll at least be able to better hold the god ki in my body without collapsing."

He smirked again, "Well if you really want to become stronger, you should eat more. You always leave bits of food on your plate."

I promptly threw a couch pillow at him which he caught and tossed back without much effort.

"Stop watching me eat," I scolded with fake anger.

"Come on, how are you supposed to improve if you can't even eat what you put on your plate?" he questioned in amusement.

I don't know why it became a running joke with him that I couldn't finish anything on my plate. He had even noticed it for a while now. I can't eat that much, yet my eyes happened to be bigger than my stomach I guess.

So we had settled on the decision that we were going to see the Kais for training and then meet Beerus once we were ready. All we had to do now was discuss it with the Kais themselves to see if they agreed. Even if they didn't, Trunks would train on his own and I would try to find a way to train as well. Although we were discussing a lot of serious topics, things stayed light and I was glad because I wanted to tell him I loved him but I just never found the right time.

Once we were done making plans he was about to leave to get a head start on his training and I hadn't found any opening to tell him so I just decided to go for it, otherwise it would be too weird later.

"Hey Trunks," I got up from the couch and went up to him as he was turning for the door.

"What is it?" I had luckily caught his attention but now I was kind of chickening out.

"Umm, well," I said as he waited patiently.

I just had to say it.

"I wanted to say that," I fidgeted, nervously pausing, "I love you."

Somehow this seemed to surprise him as he turned away, embarrassed.

His cheeks were slightly red as he scratched one of them, "I love you too, but what brought this up all of a sudden?"

"Well you know," I said quicker than I wanted to, "I just wanted to say it because you said it and I wanted you to know how I felt. I mean, if it wasn't clear already."

He smiled softly then bent down into a kiss. It was simple but I could feel his lips part and hesitate just before he pulled back.

"You're a weird girl," he said after we parted with another smirk that I was starting to become accustomed to.

Was it just me or did it seem seductive when he smirked like that? What am I saying? He smirked many times before. My mind was just going places that it shouldn't. Or maybe I was just holding them back before.

"I'll see you later," he bid farewell and was off to train.

All I could do was nod as a response. We were technically dating for three days now and it just happened to dawn on me at this moment that we might have sex eventually. I was glad that he was gone because I was sure that my face was pure red. I didn't even dream that would be a possibility before. I had always tried to push those kinds of thoughts out of my head. He was right: I really was a weird girl for freaking out about these things. Dammit, why was my shyness showing up now?

* * *

It had been more than a week and I was getting worried. Shin had only said we should take a few days to think of things but where was he now? Maybe I was just being impatient. Shin wouldn't be the kind of person to lie about coming back or at least I had to believe that.

Bulma was nice enough to try to get my mind off of my constant concerns. She had even taken me out shopping with her but I couldn't get into it. I found myself pacing without meaning to. I was just anxious to do something. Of course when I had finally convinced myself that worrying wouldn't help, Trunks had found me in the atrium with Scratch on my shoulder.

He had practically ran up to me with an apprehensive expression, "Hope, come on."

He grabbed my hand and started pulling me along while I wondered, "What's wrong?"

Stopping for a moment, he looked back, "The Supreme Kai is here."

"Did something happen?" I questioned. His demeanor was what troubled me.

"You'll see," he said ominously as I tried to keep up.

This is exactly the reason I fretted so much, because there was always something to validate my plagued thoughts. Scratch jumped off of me as soon as we made it outside. Trunks led me to the back where I noticed a tense Shin and Kibito.

Once I was in front of them the Supreme Kai spared no time in asking, "Hope, was there someone else in the future? Someone else besides Goku Black and Zamasu?"

I looked between the two serious Kais before answering slowly, "I don't . . . believe so. Why? What happened?"

Shin looked down with anguish, "During the past week I learned from Old Kai what the Time Rings can do. We had found them and I decided that the best way to know the future was to see what would happen for myself."

Wait, that was right! The Time Rings allowed the Kais to see what would happen in the future, even in alternate timelines. I don't know why I didn't even think of it before. Although, I didn't know if they even had the Time Rings here considering that Shin didn't know about them until recently. More importantly, what did he see that shook him like this?

"This place, no, all of the universes end up as a lifeless void because of a . . . masked man," he stated.

"A masked man?" I repeated, perplexed.

I didn't know of any masked person that would end the world.

He went on to explain further, "The Zamasu of this timeline does try to implement his plans but much later on. Although, he had only started when the masked man showed up. I don't know where he came from but he took Zamasu out like he was nothing. He had even taken out all of the Kais and gods. He then killed every mortal one by one. He never spoke, never tired, and never stopped."

It's almost like I felt my blood drain from my body. The fear in his eyes and way he explained told me that this was a horrifying person but I had never heard of him. A masked man?

"Hope, have you heard of someone like that before?" Trunks addressed me with his own eyes pleaded for the information not to be true.

I shook my head then stared at the ground, "No, I don't know of anyone like that."

How could the future have changed this much? Who was this person and where did they come from?

"What's worse," Kibito added, "he not only kills living things but destroys their souls as well. After annihilating the living he proceeded to the other planes of existence to demolish the souls of the dead."

"What?" Trunks nearly exclaimed, "He even destroys souls?"

Shin clenched his fists with a painful expression, "Yes, the universes become a lifeless void, devoid of those who live and those who lived."

"That's impossible," I said in disbelief, "No one could do that."

"If I hadn't seen it for myself I wouldn't have believed it either," Shin responded.

"When does this person get here? Is there nothing we can do?" I questioned.

The Supreme Kai never lightened his tone, "He will arrive here approximately nine years from now. As far as I saw, there was no one that could oppose him."

This couldn't be. He had to be some alternate version of Goku Black or something but then again: why was he so strong and why the mask? Who could erase souls from existence?

"Are you saying even the Gods of Destruction can't do anything?" I asked but I suspected his answer.

"No," he stated sadly, "I and the other Kais are killed so the Gods of Destruction do not exist."

There was a silence that settled among the group. As much as I wanted to despair, at least we knew what the future held now.

"So we have nine years. That's enough time to prepare, right? Just knowing about this should help like it did in defeating Babidi and Debura," I stated as I could see the hopeful but surprised faces they all wore.

Trunks smiled, "Right, we've come this far."

"So you're not afraid?" Shin questioned, astonished.

"I am a little, knowing that even my soul will be destroyed if I die," Trunks admitted then became more confident, "but that doesn't mean I can't try. I already made a resolve to become stronger than this Goku Black person. I'll just have to train even harder now."

His confidence was rubbing off on me so I nodded in agreement, "We'll stick to the original plan then; we'll train here until we are ready to meet Beerus. We'll still need to warn him about Zamasu and the masked man."

"You still plan to meet the God of Destruction?" Kibito inquired firmly.

"Yes," I said before explaining myself, "I know everyone is afraid of him because he's powerful but I'm sure even he doesn't want to die. I think he'll at least ally with us enough to prevent his own death."

Shin smiled than started to laugh which threw everyone off guard, "You Earthlings are strange. You even have me believe that he can be defeated. Very well, we'll go with whatever you have planned."

"Really?" Trunks questioned.

"Are you sure Supreme Kai?" Kibito interjected.

"Of course," Shin glanced over at his guardian, "We do still owe them for saving Earth and our lives after all."

Kibito's face showed that he didn't like this kind of debt but nodded anyway.

"So do you think we can continue training on your planet?" I asked nicely.

"Of course," Shin agreed but I was still skeptical about one thing.

"Do you think Old Kai would be alright with it?" I asked further.

Shin rubbed the back of his head, looking nervous, "Ah, well, he was the one that suggested the Time Rings in the first place."

"Really? That stubborn old pervert?" I said without thinking.

Kibito cleared his throat.

Shin was sweat dropping by now, "Well he is still our Honorable Elder. You might not want to say something like that when you see him again."

I guess I did have to give him credit. Old Kai was trying to help. Maybe he had come around.

"Anyway, we should get ready to leave. The sooner we start training, the better," Trunks suggested.

"Right," I nodded.

This time we were actually able to say goodbye to Bulma. I didn't know how long we would be gone but at least this time she would know where we were. I was able to pack few essentials and we were off to the Sacred Land of the Kais again to train for a new threat. Even if I never heard of him, he couldn't be any worse than Goku Black could he?

* * *

On the Sacred Sphere we met with Old Kai. In light of the circumstances he seemed alright with us training for the future. He, however, still didn't like that fact that I wanted to see Beerus. I'm glad that he didn't flat out turn down the idea but he was on a wait and see basis. I definitely didn't want to tell him about my idea to get the Dragon Balls back on Earth. I know for a fact that Old Kai didn't like the idea of Earthlings possessing objects of great power. Somehow I would find a way to get them back in secret. It was all part of my 'Safeguard the Earth' plan.

The first part of the plan was the Dragon Balls. As long as we had a new guardian of Earth and Dragon Balls, if something went wrong then we could wish to fix it. Also, being on good terms with the Namekians would be in our favor in case anything happened to Earth and the Dragon Balls on it. Second part of my plan was to get on good terms with Beerus. If Beerus was at least interested in Earth in some way then he would be a good ally against people who would wish to destroy it. Even if Beerus did destroy the planet for some reason, then being friends with the Namekians would mean that maybe they would allow us to wish the Earth back and the people on it. Third part of the plan was to get rid of known enemies of Earth such as Babidi, Debura, and Zamasu. I guess the masked man also fell in this category now but I didn't know what to expect from him.

Other than that, I wanted to get stronger so I could heal and teleport. Both of these skills would be extremely useful. I know I didn't really factor Trunks into the plan but that's because I thought of him more as an ally and I didn't want to put everything on him. As long as he trained to become stronger then he was helping more than he knew in my plan. Trunks was the only decent defender of Earth left in this timeline and he had enough on his plate. If anything, my plan would hopefully ease that burden.

Training had started off simple enough. I told Trunks that he should finish his training with Old Kai and although he was skeptical he still went through with it. Old Kai himself was happy to do it because I told him that the promise of meeting that friend of mine only stood if the training was finished. I still had no idea who I would introduce him to but I was kind of banking on the possibility that he would eventually forget. After the ritual training with Old Kai Trunks did say that he felt like his power did increase and was heightened even in his normal state. This was already apparent when he powered up for the first time after the ritual causing damage to the surrounding area. He hadn't even reached a Super Saiyan state at that point.

Meanwhile, Shin was teaching me how to heal first. I really didn't get how to bring my energy forth but clearly it had happened before when I healed Shin. I had to think of how I felt when I used my power. Even simulating that feeling, I had a hard time bringing anything out.

Before we knew it, months had gone by in a flash. I was finally getting better at healing while Trunks was mastering each of his forms although I rarely saw his Super Saiyan 2 form. I wondered if he was just training his base form and Super Saiyan form to their max. We actually didn't end up spending too much time together but we would go back home to Capsule Corp. for a rest every few weeks. Well, maybe the rest was more for me than for him. Using any of my ki wore me out considerably but each time I used it I felt less tired.

Besides all the training I had other things on my mind. I couldn't believe it but somehow I had become hormonal again. I haven't felt this frustrated since high school. I had tried not to think of it too much but it kept plaguing my thoughts. It didn't seem like Trunks was in the same situation so I thought that something was wrong with me. Maybe he wasn't attracted to me in that way. We hadn't done anything besides kiss occasionally. He would always sleep separately from me on the Kai's planet and he never went out of his way to touch me. Was he just trying to drive me crazy? Was it really possible that I wanted sex more than him? It looked like I had to make the first move and it was freaking me out.

"Trunks," I called out as I caught him in the hallway after a shower.

He stopped and turned around, "Huh? What is it?"

We were back at Capsule Corp. for a few days but we were going to go back and train tomorrow. I really wanted to take this opportunity to get closer if I could.

"It's just," I fidgeted and was sure I looked sheepish when asking, "Would you like to watch a movie with me in my room tonight?"

He looked a little sheepish himself, "It's a little late isn't it?"

We had already eaten dinner and it was practically midnight.

"Yeah, I know," I held my hands behind my back, "It's just that we haven't been spending a lot of time together recently and I kind of miss the things we used to do together."

He almost looked guilty while moving some still damp hairs from his face, "Sure, just give me a minute."

"Yay! I'm going to go pick out a movie," I stated happily and trotted off to my room.

Good, I would have him alone in my room. It had been a while since we had any real private time together although the more I thought of it, the more my heart started to pound. No, I couldn't chicken out now.

When he came back he had knocked on the door. I told him he could come in and noticed that he changed his outfit to some house clothes. They weren't really pajamas but they weren't really going out clothes either. I guess I was in the same situation; I didn't want to put on pajamas but I was in more casual clothing too.

Scratch was sitting next to me then walked up to Trunks as he entered.

"Hey Scratch," he said before bending down to pet the cat but the feline walked out of the room with one pet.

Trunks sighed deeply, "What the hell did I ever do to that cat?"

I tried to distract him by holding up a few choices, "What one do you want to watch?"

He said he didn't really care and that I could pick. We had went back and forth saying the other one could pick so I finally caved and chose an action film. It really didn't matter because I wasn't going to be watching the movie. I had other things in mind.

Putting in the movie, I told him he could sit on the end of the bed with me while we watched. Honestly, the action movie was kind of boring especially when comparing it with the things Trunks could do. When I looked over at him I saw that even he thought so because his drooping eyelids told me he was falling asleep. I suppose he would be exhausted after the excessive exercise he did each day. Although, he couldn't fall asleep. This was my chance to see if he wanted the same things. It just made me so nervous, that I hoped I wasn't sweating.

"Hey Trunks," I addressed him as casually as I could.

"Hmm?" he responded, waking up a little and looking at me.

I bit my lip. I had to keep telling myself that I could do this. I could do this!

"Do you . . . find me attractive?" I forced myself to look at him for his reaction.

I watched his eyes gradually go from glazed over with sleep to attentively clear, "What?"

I expanded my question, feeling bashful, "Are you attracted to me . . . physically?"

His cheeks gained a slight shade of red on them, "Of course I am."

If my heart could leap out through my throat then it would have. I'm pretty sure that my face was a little red too.

"Have you ever thought of . . . having sex with me?" I finally asked.

I saw his eyes visibly widen as he opened his mouth to say something only to have the words catch in his throat. He swallowed hard as if to get the words in his throat down.

Dammit, if I wasn't so hormonal then I would have thought what I was doing was crazy but I slid over on the bed and sat so his lap was between my legs and I was facing him. I slid my arms around his neck and stared at him with low eyes. I had never seen him watch me so intently before. I leaned in and kissed him but unlike the simple ones from before I begged for entry with my tongue which he allowed readily. With the way he reciprocated it was like he was waiting for this too.

When we parted I noticed he had that slightly seductive smirk that he wore sometimes. Well, at least I thought it was seductive.

I decided to be a little coincidental when asking, "Would you like stay here with me tonight?"

I think he caught the connection in my words as his smirk widened.

He then brushed back a lock of hair from my face and searched my eyes while questioning, "Are you sure about this? You won't get shy and back out in the middle of it?"

If only he knew how much my body had wanted this lately. It was driving me nuts. My hormones were clouding my judgment. Maybe normally I would have gotten shy but not now.

"I'm sure," I answered lowly and to prove it I trailed my right hand down to his crotch to find that he had already started to stiffen.

He let out a small gasp but what I didn't know is that either my answer or action had opened a door he had been trying to keep shut. He put his arms around me pulling me in closer forcing my hand to go to his back. His hands found their way under the back of my shirt while we kissed. I noticed that he was taking a long time with the clasp of my bra for some reason. Breaking away from him for a moment I undid it myself while he seemed a little sheepish about it. I know I said I wouldn't get shy but I did hesitate when removing my shirt and my bra. Luckily this took away his embarrassment as I encouraged him to take off his own shirt by sliding my hands underneath it.

He smirked, removing his own shirt quickly and in what seemed like an instant he was over me on the bed. He had started sucking and licking at my neck and made his way down to my breasts. Now I don't know about anyone else but I've always been quite sensitive to touch. This also makes me kind of ticklish as well. The feeling shot pleasure through my body but also made me squirm a bit. This in turn made me rub my legs against his. He seemed to interoperate this as a sign, taking a moment to pull at the side of my pants.

I helped kick them off and hardly had to touch at his pants before he slipped them off as well. So he did wear boxers. I mean, it did make sense but for someone named Trunks Brief I kind of wondered which one it would be. My thoughts didn't last long as he pressed against me my mind went numb. He was definitely hard by now; I could feel it through the fabric. He was sucking on my neck while teasing my nipples and squeezing my breasts in turn. The aching heat between my legs weakened me as I grasped onto his back. His lower body rubbed against me and he just so happened to get the right spot which made me gasp involuntarily. He had no idea how much I wanted this. It was almost ridiculous.

I felt his breath against my body and that smirk. His hand was now pulling at the side of my underwear when I just realized in my pleasured hazed that I should at least be a little responsible.

"Trunks," I gasped out pushing him away a little.

"What?" he said breathing slightly heavier than before, "Don't tell me your shy _now_?"

"No, it's just," I tried to think straight, "Do you have a condom or something?"

He stopped to think for a moment than went over to the side of the bed to get his pants and pulled one out of the pocket.

"Wait, you had that on you the whole time?" I asked.

I mean, I may have forgotten to ask him about a condom but I didn't expect him to just have one when he changed clothes to come to my room. Unless . . .

"Did you plan for this to happen?" I questioned further.

I thought I was the one that planned this.

He seemed embarrassed as he tried to defend himself, "No, I had these on me for a while."

"How long have you had them?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "I bought them around New Year's."

The realization hit me hard that he was anticipating sex that long ago. It was kind of weird and flattering at the same time. Maybe I was just too horny to really think clearly enough.

I pounced on him and kissed him deeply before sucking on his neck. And like that we were back into it. I parted from him and pulled off my underwear in what I hoped was a sexy way even though I faltered a little in my position. Trunks seductively smirked again while he took off his boxers. Honestly, as soon as he had his dick out, he started fumbling with the condom. I don't know if he ever had done this before, or at least ever wore a condom. Although, I knew I had never done this before. I was only going off of what I thought should happen.

I kissed on him to help the time pass a little less awkwardly. I didn't know they were so hard to put on but as soon as he was done he pinned me down once again.

"Um," I tried to say before he began, "I've never done this before so . . ."

I really didn't know what to say but he seemed to understand.

He smirked, "You're the one that jumped on me and you've never done this before?"

I felt kind of embarrassed as he said this.

He kissed me again and added, "You really are a weird girl. Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

I prepared myself but I couldn't deny that it's what I wanted for a while now. When he entered me I could feel a weird pain and then a mix of pleasure as he moved. I gasped a little from the new sensation while he took this as a cue to move faster. The feeling intensified and I let out a weird painful gasp which made his slow down.

"Keep going," I breathed.

He made a strange breathless sound as he sped up again faster than he did before. I moaned out his name which seemed to excite him as he gasped out my name as well. In a moment I had lost all sense and my legs shook from weakness. I held back my voice as I climaxed, feeling my body tense up and then pulse with pleasure. I then relaxed a bit, taking in quick breaths but he wasn't done yet. When he noticed my reaction he had moved in deeper and which hurt a little but it wasn't long after that he pressed in and stopped. His body tensed and he gasped a few times before he relaxed, taking in labored breaths. Just like that we were done as he pulled out and laid on his back beside me. He took a moment to calm down before taking of the condom. Not knowing what to do with it I told him he could just put it on the floor for now. The trash was all the way in the bathroom. He reluctantly placed it off the side of the bed.

After that I slid over and cuddled at his side putting my head on his chest and wrapping an arm around him. He smiled and pet my hair then kissed my forehead. He pulled the blankets over us and we stayed like that for a while. The credits of the long forgotten movie played in the background.

I figured that now was probably the best time to ask this question that I was curious about, "Hey, Trunks. Have you ever, you know . . . done that with anyone before?"

There was moment of silence as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Um, well, maybe not that in particular. I have been, ah, sucked off before but like I said: my relationships didn't really last that long."

I had to sit up and look at him for this, "So wait, you were technically a virgin."

He was visibly flustered, "So what? So were you."

"No, it's not a bad thing," I tried to correct, "I just was sure you would have done this before."

He was kind of red, "I thought you might have done it before considering the way you came on to me like that."

It was my turn to feel embarrassed, "Well I had just been thinking about it for a while. You never seemed to try anything. I was wondering if I was even attractive to you."

This actually made him smile, "I wasn't sure if things were going too fast for you. You're always kind of shy, but I guess I was wrong."

"You think I'm shy?" I decided to tease him, "You blush more than any guy I know but I guess now I figured out why."

This coincidentally made him blush awkwardly, "I don't blush that much . . . do I?"

I giggled and snuggled on him. He spent the night in my room and from then on I can't say things weren't still a little awkward between us but we would end up doing a lot more in private. It seemed like he had actually wanted to do this a lot more than I did. I found out later that he surprisingly really liked to be dominated in the bedroom. He liked if I took charge and told him what to do. I found it funny that someone so strong would allow and even want me to take control. It's just one of the many things about him that kept surprising me.

* * *

Training had continued on for a few more months. I was lucky to get any progress in considering the constant interruptions. Trunks was doing more intense training than usual, so every once and a while the ground shook like an earthquake. He was doing his training far off on the planet but the Kais still worried about the condition their planet would be in if it continued. It would be best if we moved our training so we ended up moving to a remote location on Earth. I still needed to train with the Kais and Trunks wanted to stay close enough so I didn't have any negative effects, although with my training he could actually be gone for longer and be at a farther distance without the tether affecting me.

The more Shin helped me with my ki, the more I realized what a nice person he was. He really cared about the safety of living beings and wanted to do his best at it even if he didn't have any formal training as a Supreme Kai. Essentially I didn't think he was only helping us because of debt.

I had become a moderate healer by now without feeling too sick or weak afterwards and now I was trying to use Instantaneous Movement. I definitely wasn't good at it and it drained a lot more of my energy than healing. Unlike healing, Instantaneous Movement took energy in one burst and I couldn't regulate it very well.

I probably improved my healing skill mostly because I had more time to practice it. I had no idea how much Trunks could get beat up just from training.

"There. That should do it for now," I was done healing the last of Trunks' wounds feeling slightly out of breath.

"Thanks," he said while examining his now unscathed arm, "You're getting better at this."

"Well if you keep coming back like you just got mauled by a bear then I might be the best healer in the universe someday," I sighed, "You're not doing this on purpose are you? I know the way Saiyans are built and how if you come back from a near death experience you get stronger."

He seemed to notice how worried I was, "It's not like I'm trying to die or anything. I just won't get anywhere unless I push myself past my limits."

I suppose he was right but I couldn't help but worry. I didn't want him going too far one day to the point where I couldn't heal him or he wouldn't even come back from training. I wanted to tell him to be careful but he was way more resilient than a normal human.

"Just promise to always come back alive, alright?" I comprised seriously.

"I will," he agreed quickly with a smile.

Why did I have to be the one to always fret about things? During our training we ended up eating campfire fish a lot among other outdoors food. We even slept in the same bed under the stars. It got kind of cold at night so it was nice to have another body nearby for heat. He was always so warm to snuggle up against. We never had a problem before, if anything I was the one that was bothered all the time while he seemed fine, but one night something happened and I don't think either of us knew what triggered it.

I awoke when I felt a lot of movement by me in the bed. Trunks had his eyes closed but was thrashing about. Thinking that he might be having a vivid nightmare I tried to wake him up which was my mistake. A moment of extreme pain made me scream sending my mind whirling as my hands instantly went to my face. My eyes squeezed shut and watered while my hands filled with liquid. My nose felt wrong and when I finally opened my eyes I could see blood on my hands. It hurt so much; did I break my nose? I tried to heal but as any healer knows, it's harder to heal yourself than others. It was hard to concentrate through the pain.

I didn't even notice what Trunks was doing until I heard his confused voice in front of me, "What happened? Why are you bleeding?"

He was trying to get a better look but I kept my hands to my face. I couldn't even say anything. There was already blood running down over my mouth. He was trying to help but there wasn't much he could do about it so he got something to soak up the blood.

My nose had healed enough to the point where it felt normal but bruised before I thought I could speak again. He had asked what happened again once I calmed down.

"I don't know," I said, muffled behind my hands, "You looked like you were having a nightmare so I tried to wake you up then something smacked me in the face."

Trying to think back on the event, it was so fast that I didn't even see what happen.

He looked around as if trying to sense if anything was nearby but didn't find anything. I continued to heal my nose that was getting better by the minute. I looked down to see that some of the blood made it all the way to my shirt. The cloth he had gotten was reddened almost entirely. It must have looked a lot worse than it was. After a while I tested touching my nose and it wasn't bad. It had taken quite some time to fully heal.

Trunks was still on edge, offering some antiseptic but I had already healed the openings.

"I'm going to try to wash some of the blood out," I said while finding all the stains on my shirt.

He nodded, not saying much as if he was thinking of something.

I went down to the water nearby and as I tried to rinse out the stains I wondered what really happened. What could have hit me that hard? I never even saw it coming. There was no one else around except us. The more I tried to remember the blur in front of me the clearer it became. Wait, was it Trunks? It made sense, he was trashing after all and I was a little too near. If he was still sleeping he wouldn't even have known I was there. Dammit, I couldn't tell him that he could have possibly hit me. It wasn't really his fault after all. No, I wouldn't say anything. It was too fast to be sure anyway.

When I went back to the camp he had a sort of sad look on his face while examining his hand.

"Well, I think I got most of it out," I tried to keep a light tone.

"Right," he said then looked over at me, "That's good."

He was staring at me a little too long so I had to ask, "There's nothing left on my face is there? Does my nose look normal?"

"Yeah, it looks fine," he responded but his voice was tired.

I felt my nose again for the hundredth time tonight and it did indeed seem normal.

"Good," I sighed before getting back into bed while he reluctantly did the same.

I snuggled up to him again but he was staring at nothing in particular in a thoughtful distraction.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

He then glanced at me and smiled, "No, it's nothing. Go back to sleep."

I was a little worried about him but I was always worried lately so it didn't seem strange when I woke up early to find that he was already gone, leaving a note that he had left for training. What really bothered me is that later on I felt like he was avoiding me for some reason. If I woke up in the middle of the night he would be far away on the bed and he trained for a lot longer than usual. He wasn't even talking to me that much anymore. If I wasn't really concerned before, I definitely was now. Then again, maybe I was just overthinking things.

* * *

A ki blast tore through large rocks obliterating most of it while scattering small pebbles. Trunks huffed from the strain on his body. There where cuts and bruises decorating every inch of him. He had been training harder than he ever did in the past. He had to push himself past his limits; he had to be stronger than gods. It seemed impossible but he had to do it for his world, for his mother, for Gohan and for Hope. He was the only one left.

Imagining what the masked man might look like he began to fight an illusionary battle. There was a punch, he dodged it. Go for the opening, he blocked it. Kick, he fell back. Taking advantage of the retreat he moved in, the figure disappeared. Move, he's coming from above or behind. The figure's attack crashed to the ground, Trunks sent a blast at him. The training continued.

Could he win this? What if he wasn't strong enough?

The imaginary figure nearly hit him but he deflected the kick.

Could he really hope to save his world when he had failed so many times on his own?

The figure began to shift in his mind to old enemies. Suddenly he found himself as a teenager again, fighting Android 18 and 17 in a decimated city. He was clashing with them again. Why were they so fast?

Concentrating on fighting the two enemies at once, he shifted his fighting style.

Dodge, punch, block, kick.

Move. Just keep moving.

He didn't remember them being this strong and fast. Something was wrong.

Suddenly they had gained the upper hand and he was sent flying backwards. Android 18 dropped in on him, driving a kick through his stomach. Trunks choked out a painful yell.

"What's the matter? Can't keep up?" she said in an almost bored voice.

She moved back to where her brother was as they both charged their ki.

Move. He had to keep moving.

Ripping out from ground painfully, he nearly dodged the attack. He was hiding now, holding his stomach.

"Where could the little mouse have gone?" 18 teased playfully.

"If we can't find him maybe we should just destroy the whole thing," 17 suggested.

Once again, Trunks felt the fear and helplessness that he used to feel so much back then.

They were counting down.

Three.

What was he going to do? They were so much stronger than he remembered.

Two.

How could he be so weak? He was the only one left.

One.

Like a bullet, someone crashed into Android 17.

Trunks glanced out to see someone familiar, "Gohan?"

"Looks like blondie is back," 18 commented.

Gohan stood ready for anything while in Super Saiyan mode.

17 looked mildly pissed when he noticed a tear in his black shirt, "You're going to pay this time. This was my favorite shirt."

He began to fight with the Androids. Trunks had to do something. He had to help but his feet felt like lead. He couldn't move. Why couldn't he move? Why was he so weak? Gohan!

They basted off his arm as Gohan held his side where he was now missing an appendage. The Androids came at him again as he needed to continue to fight through the pain. The movements became so fast that Trunks vision began to blur in and out. Why couldn't he do anything?

"Looks like this is it for you," 17 said with a smirk.

"You know you can't win. You can't destroy what I really am. Even if you kill this body, someone stronger will surface and take my place. Not one death will go unaccounted for, not one!" Gohan said as he powered up.

Trunks stared up at him and hung to the words. Of course Gohan wouldn't give up. He was the strongest person he knew. Who would be stronger than Gohan if he wasn't here? There was no one in this timeline. No one could stand up to them. Then the thought hit him: could Gohan have meant him? No, he was weak. He couldn't do anything right now. He couldn't even move. Did fear paralyze him?

The fight continued and Gohan fought well but he was at a disadvantage. Back and forth, ki blasts, dodging and flying around the city, they fought as if everything depended on this one fight. Eventually the Androids had gained the upper hand as Gohan was sent flying down to the earth. They prepared their ki that rained down upon him.

His former teacher's haunting cries of pain echoed in Trunks' ears as he called out, "Gohan!"

He couldn't see where Gohan fell but the Androids now had their attention on him.

"Looks like there's still one left," 18 said in a calm level voice.

He could finally move. Although he could still feel the pain, he shot up into the sky to avenge his teacher and friend. He had to defeat them, he could do it. They sent ki blasts at him that he avoided while moving closer. Getting in a few hits he noticed at it wasn't doing anything to them. Soon enough they were overwhelming him again. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried they were always faster or stronger.

He was blown back into a small field of red flowers. He struggled to pick himself up when a foot dug into him again, pressing him back into the ground.

"What do you say we end this, 18?" Android 17 said in a nearly unamused tone.

"He has been quite troublesome lately. Although, I would hate lose this kind of entertainment," 18 commented in a similar tone.

"I suppose you're right," 17 agreed with a grin.

Trunks' clenched his hands in the crumpled flowers and dirt. They were just toying with him.

"Until next time little Saiyan," 18 said as they both took off.

They were just letting him survive. He wasn't actually getting away but they were letting him get away. He had never felt so stupid and powerless. Getting up with difficulty he made his way over to find where Gohan fell. The sky was overcast and rumbled lowly. Drops of water fell slowly at first then turned into a downpour. He froze when he finally saw Gohan in a puddle forming from a mixture of water and his own blood. A red stop light was still blinking ominously. Not again. Please, not again.

Each step closer made his heart beat faster. Please be alright.

"You can't . . . not again," he said while turning him over and feeling the lifeless weight of his cold body.

He wasn't sure if it was just the rain or tears that were wetting his face anymore, "Why did you have to do it Gohan? Why did you have to leave me? You were everything to me. It's not fair. Gohan . . . Gohan!"

Gohan was his best friend. He didn't deserve this. He had been trying to protect everyone and now what was left? This wasn't meant to happen to him. Gohan was the hero the world deserved.

He felt the pain and rage swell up inside him. How could they do this to him? They would pay.

The energy was there but it was hard to bring out. He powered up, trying to reach that energy. And like a cork from a bottled, it spilled out and burst forth.

There were still people on this Earth. He knew Gohan believed in him. He had to be stronger. He was the only one left who could do this. They weren't going to take anymore away from him.

Suddenly, a striking pain shot through his body making him feel weak. He was back at the training field and the illusion was gone. A sizable crater had formed around him while some levitating rocks fell from the unexpected decrease in power. His vision blurred and he fell forward only to black out.

The next thing he remembered was hearing echoing laughing while he was laying on the ground. The Androids were laughing. They were close.

He shot up with a fierce glare, ready for anything only to see a scared looking Hope.

"You're awake," she said with an awkward smile while holding her hands up defensively.

If she had been any closer he might have attacked her just like that one night.

She then frowned and scolded, "I thought you said you weren't trying to get yourself killed. What the hell happened while you were training?"

He put a hand to his head and closed his eyes. Everything was a strange mix of reality from what he remembered.

"I just pushed myself a little too hard this time," he admitted; the visualization training had taken a turn he wasn't expecting.

She sighed looking concerned, "We thought something happened when there was an unusual spike in your ki. The sky even turned dark and the ground shook like an earthquake even though you were so far away. If Shin didn't transport us over there, I don't know if you would have been alright."

Was there really that much of an odd spike in his ki? He remembered powering up but did he really find a new level of power that he was looking for?

"Trunks, I hate being that person but you're worrying me," she said sadly leaning in closer to him, "You've been training a lot harder than usual and this is the first time I've even talked to you in days and it's only because you're injured. It feels like you're avoiding me lately and I'm just wondering if something is wrong. You know you can always talk to me if something is on your mind."

Shit, she had noticed. He thought he was good at hiding problems and emotions but somehow she knew. Ever since that night he couldn't really look her in the eye. He knew that he was the one that hit her because the nightmares and even daydreams were coming back. He had always been afraid that he might hurt someone someday and his fears came true. It tormented him that he was trying to save the world from threats yet he couldn't save anyone from himself. What if he didn't snap out of it in time? What if he did more damage next time? What if he ended up killing her somehow? Humans were a lot weaker than him and he didn't know if he could hold back when his episodes happened.

He was afraid to tell her something was wrong. He felt broken and didn't know what she would think of him. He had to resolve it on his own. Until then, he would avoid getting in those situations.

Preparing the lie he softened his expression, "I'm fine. I'm just trying to be prepared for who might come next. I don't know how strong they will be."

She lowered her gaze, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.

This had to end. He needed to become stronger but there was only so much he could do here.

"If you're really that worried I'll bring you back home. We'll take a break for a few days and do anything you want. How does that sound?" he was hoping that this would at least pacify her worries and suspicions for a time.

"Are you sure?" she perked up and asked.

Good, she took the bait.

"Yeah," he smiled.

He wasn't sure how long he could hide this but hopefully he could hide it long enough to resolve the issue or at least make it better. Maybe the break would do him some good and maybe she would be in a better mood too because afterwards he wanted to go see Beerus and train with Whis. He needed to become stronger than a god to protect this world and stop his tormented thoughts.

* * *

 **Notes:** Trunks' thoughts and training at the end might be confusing but that's because he is kind of in his own head and memories for most of it. Not to mention that the memories are just a personification of his fears. Even heroes have fears and doubts. I know Trunks never heard that particular speech from Gohan because he was still knocked out at the time but I thought it was nice to add in because that's something Trunks would think he would say as well. I'm sorry if the fights at the end weren't really explained in detail, they weren't real after all and just thoughts so I didn't explain them because . . . well they weren't actually happening, especially at first.

Okay, about the sex: Why did I make Trunks a virgin? It just seemed to make sense for someone that blushes that much. Although honestly, he most likely would have had sex before. Why did she climax before him? Yeah that is highly unlikely but not impossible although she was fired up already so it just fit. Also, I want to mention that you can change your mind about sex halfway through if you want. Will it make your partner angry? Oh most definitely but you do have a right to change your mind and I want to make that clear because I don't think it is in the story. Contraceptives, they're important.

The masked man. I had trouble coming up with him but I would like to keep him as vague as possible for now.

Anyway, the next chapter is going to be great because we are going to have a shift in focus, meet gods, shatter people and plans. It's going to be fun for me to write but I don't want to say too much. Just know that things will be different and change unexpectedly.


	8. Gods

**Notes:** So here I am again with an update another month later. I didn't think I would actually get a chapter out this month. I had started writing so late because of so much drama that popped up in my life. The sad part is that it wasn't even my drama and I just got sucked into it somehow. Also, it was so hot and heat just kills me; I want it to snow again. I got some slight depression for a week or two and then I got some ulnar sided wrist pain that I'm pretty sure was caused from overuse of my phone because it I don't feel it when typing but man do I feel it after using my phone. Just saying that I'm falling apart at the seams. It was such a tiring month and I started writing late and while I was depressed so I don't know if that will show in my writing or not. I don't think it does at least. Surprisingly watching the 10th Kingdom got me out of my depressive funk. I don't know why but I had the urge to re-watch it and man those special effects don't age well but I still like the story. (It was a miniseries from 2000 and poked fun at a lot of fairy tale stuff.) It also had a lot of adult humor that I didn't understand when I was a kid.

Anyway, this chapter felt really short although it is the same length as most of my chapters. Maybe it just feels short because I wrote it in such a short amount of time and I was forcing myself to write more to get it out on before the end of the month. I hope it's still enjoyable to read and thanks for sticking with it this long. ;)

* * *

 **8\. Gods**

* * *

"I just feel like I'm dreaming even during the day, only they feel real," he admitted with his head in his hands.

He couldn't fully look at her. He didn't want to talk about this but he promised that he would. He had explained how the nightmares and daydreams suddenly came back.

Bulma gently tugged his hands away from his face, "Look at me, Trunks."

He reluctantly faced her wondering if he was being a bother; wondering if he was worrying her, but she only smiled at him.

"I'm glad you're telling me this," she said, "I know it's hard Trunks, but remember that you can always talk to me. Your mother is always here for you."

"Right," he said but he couldn't even change his expression; he didn't even tell her the worst part yet.

He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to remember it, but he didn't want another haunting memory.

"What, you don't believe me?" Bulma questioned, noticing he still looked troubled.

"Mom, I-" he bit his lip before continuing, "I hit her."

"What?" she said with some surprise in her voice.

Trunks quickly tried to explain, "I didn't mean to. It was just, the nightmares, then I didn't even notice I had woken up. Then there was blood and I saw it on my hand."

"Trunks, calm down," Bulma said as he looked like he was starting to panic.

His hands were slightly shaking and his eyes were wide and unfocused as he thought back to the event, "What if I hurt her again? What if I hurt you or someone else? What if do worse next time? What if I killed her?"

Bulma abruptly hugged him, "Trunks, shh. It's alright. Calm down. Just breathe."

His breathing was shallow so he tried to bring it back to normal. There was so much he wanted to say but when he tried to talk again she interrupted and told him to calm down first.

It was a while before Bulma felt it was okay to speak again so she parted and said, "It's alright, just calmly explain one more time what happened exactly."

Taking a deep breath he told her about his worries with a little more detail; how his mind sometimes was lost in the past.

Bulma smiled to lighten the mood once he was done, "It's not your fault, Trunks. There are a lot of other people going through these kinds of things, especially after what happened. You'll have to meet them sometime. So you don't have to feel alone. I'm with you and I'm sure Hope is too. Although I don't know what she thought of all of this when you told her."

He rubbed his arm awkwardly avoiding eye contact, "I didn't tell her about it. I don't even think she knows what happened that night."

She sighed still looking sympathetic, "Trunks, I don't know how long you plan to stay with her, but you should tell her sometime if you don't want her to leave or she may find out on her own. You don't have to tell her right away but hiding it is only going to make you feel worse. It feels better it get things off of your chest, right?"

He nodded but still didn't want to look at her, "Yeah."

He knew he should tell her but was afraid of what she would think of him. It was enough to lose her when she turned to stone but he couldn't forgive himself if he had lost her because of his own actions. He was afraid of hurting her. If he told her, would she leave? Would she look at him differently? Would she be afraid of him?

He knew his mother would always be here like she had told him, but Hope was a temporary existence in this world that he was trying to keep. The fact that he could lose her at any moment was too real.

"Hey, um, I've been looking for you two," Hope said as the door opened to the lab.

Trunks composed himself quickly. Luckily he was actually quite calm after talking with his mother.

"Is something wrong?" Bulma asked, still serious after the talk with her son.

"No, not at all," Hope waved off, looking a little nervous, "I was just going to ask if you would mind me making dinner tonight."

"That would be nice. Wouldn't it Trunks?" Bulma said then glanced over to her son.

"Y-yeah," he stumbled over the words.

"Right, I'll get started then," she said, seeming flustered before leaving quickly.

When they were sure she was gone, Bulma then turned her attention back to Trunks, "Just try to relax while you're home. It's still a long time before the masked man will show up."

"I'll try," he smiled to show her he was alright even if he was still truly troubled.

"See you at dinner," he said before leaving.

He didn't know when or if he could tell Hope about his condition but wanted to try everything he could to make it better before it came to that.

* * *

I found myself on the balcony; it's where I usually went when I had something to think about. As I looked back on the events I couldn't believe I ran out of there so fast. I had to make up a lie really quick and ended up making dinner. Why did I have to lean on the switch for the door? I was so stupid for eavesdropping anyway. So Trunks was having problems coping with his past experiences. I knew he said he was afraid of hurting me but it hurt more to know that he couldn't confide in me. He didn't want to tell me about what was going on. No, I didn't want to make this about myself. He was the one that was having a hard time. I knew he was the one that hit me and that it wasn't his fault. I just didn't know it had been going on for so long. Was that why he was avoiding me?

Even if I knew why he wouldn't tell me, it still hurt to know he didn't trust me as much as I thought. I knew he was trying to protect me but I wished he would let me protect him. That settled it, I wouldn't talk to him about it until he was ready but until then I could do my best to support him and ease the burden. Although, wasn't I already trying to make things easier? Maybe I just needed to work harder at it.

There was a strange feeling that someone was behind me and when I glanced back, Trunks slid the door open. It turns out that my training wasn't all for nothing. I was getting a lot better at sensing energy but I couldn't sense anything from a great distance and ki was still hard to measure. I could sense Trunks' ki better but that was probably only because I spent a lot of time with him.

"There you are. I thought I'd find you out here," he said while walking up to me, "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

He looked serious. The first thing I could think of was what he talked about with his mother. Was he really going to talk to me about it so soon? I prepared myself for what he might say. It wasn't his fault and of course he had these kinds of problems but it didn't bother me.

"I was thinking about it lately and I want to go meet Beerus. I know you wanted to learn Instantaneous Movement before we went there but I feel like I've done all I can here," he explained which threw me off.

I tried to shift my focus and not get lost in what I thought he was going to say, "You . . . want to meet Beerus, already?"

"Yeah," he said almost sheepishly, "I was thinking of asking the Supreme Kai or Old Kai if they could take us to his planet. I know you don't like Old Kai that much but I think I can persuade him."

After his collapse during training I thought he might be more careful and especially after he was having these post traumatic issues. Although, I think I was starting to become too used to him. He was part Saiyan so maybe they all were a little reckless; wanting to push himself harder after coming back half dead. Maybe he _was_ more like his father than I thought. I wonder if it would make him happy or not if I told him that.

I sighed, "Alright, fine. If you think you can convince him then I'll trust you."

"Thanks," he smiled, "So when we leave in a few days you might want to pack for a longer trip, okay? I'm not sure how long we'll be there. I'm going to tell mom too."

He was about leave when I decided to call to him, "Trunks."

He stopped, "Hmm? What is it?"

How could I say this without sounding like I heard the conversation with his mom? I couldn't, it would be too obvious.

I bit back the words I wanted to say and thought of something else, "Just make sure to take it easy before we leave. We came here to relax after all and I'm sure training with Whis won't be a picnic. Don't forget that I believe in you and I'm here to help too."

He came back and kissed my forehead before hugging me.

"Thanks, I already promised I'll always come back alive, so don't worry," he parted and smiled again to reassure me before leaving.

That didn't sound too obvious did it? Even if he told me not to, I was worried about him. I promised myself that I would be more supportive and if he thought he could do more then I would do my best to help. Still, I wished my training would progress faster. Even if he was ready, I didn't feel anywhere near prepared.

* * *

"Absolutely not," Old Kai refused with his arms folded.

"What? Why not?" I couldn't help but interject.

Trunks had politely asked if he could take us to Beerus' world because Shin had no idea where it was. Old Kai was the only one that knew where to find him. Luckily, Shin seemed to be on our side of the matter and was trying to convince Old Kai as well.

"There's no use in waking him. He'll just end up destroying countless worlds in this universe rather than save them. He only cares about himself and his next meal," Old Kai pointed out.

"Well what if we don't wake up Beerus and we just meet Whis instead?" I insisted, trying to compromise.

The old Kai turned his head, "No deal."

"This isn't just about us," I reasoned with him, "You know all of the universes will be wiped out if we don't do anything to prevent it. We need to at least try."

He just pouts, looking sour. What could we do to convince this guy?

The last time I tried to persuade him I offered for him to meet a human girl, but wait, "Don't tell me you're mad that I didn't introduce you to my friend."

Every time he asked me about the 'friend' I promised him to meet, I would avoid the question. He hadn't asked me anything in a while so I assumed he forgot but instead he was just holding a grudge.

This triggered an outburst from him, "Do you know what it's like to be sealed in a sword for millions of years and not feel the touch of a woman? And you want to meet that God who did that to me."

So he had a grudge against Beerus as well.

"Old Kai," Trunks addressed trying to alleviate the heated Kai, "I want to protect this world and if meeting Beerus or Whis will help me do that then I want to do it. I've done so much just to obtain the peace that we have now on Earth and I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't do everything I could to keep it."

I sighed. Maybe I was the one in the wrong here. There were more important things at stake.

"I'm sorry I lied about my friend but Trunks is right, this is more than us. This is for everyone that wants to live," I added, trying to look more respectful.

Shin and Kibito were nearby but refrained from saying anything until now.

"Please Elder, maybe with the Saiyan and the human god we can do something about this," Shin said with hopeful eyes.

Old Kai growled under his breath, "Alright fine, but don't say I didn't warn you if he ends up destroying the Earth instead."

Yes, finally he agreed and we would get to meet a god of destruction. Honestly, even though we were planning on meeting him for a while, it still made me feel nervous. Would Whis train Trunks? The angel and god of destruction where different from the ones in the main timeline. They knew nothing of Goku and Beerus never fought him. I wondered if I'd be able to help bridge the gap. All I could do was bring delicious food and hope that it was enough. Maybe Whis at least would understand our situation but angels were supposed to be impartial so he wouldn't have much say in what Beerus does.

Old Kai showed Shin where Beerus' world was. They both had such great eyesight that they could see anything planets apart. To me it looked like he was just pointing to a star but Shin nodded and understood. Before we left I gathered up the food I brought. It almost felt like I was bringing it for an offering or something. Gods did like food offerings didn't they?

"Are we ready?" Shin asked while I slung the large sack of food over my shoulder making me almost lose my balance.

If Trunks didn't put a hand out catch me I might have fallen over.

"Yeah, I think so," I answered.

I knew the question was for me because everyone else was bringing only themselves and their wits. I was the only one with a bag.

"You think that'll be enough?" Trunks questioned jokingly.

"I hope so," I sighed.

Kibito, Trunks and I put a hand on Shin while Old Kai stood back, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. In a moment I felt a vacuum of air then we were in a new environment. It felt a lot like the Kai's planet only there were a lot more hues of blue, green and purple on the ground and the sky was a pale red-orange. There were giant twisted trees without leaves but among them stood one colossal tree: one the size of a planet itself.

"My, my, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" a voice said.

When I turned to look I saw Whis there as if he was expecting us all along. He had that same lukewarm smile and soft eyes that had a sharpness hidden in their corners. Beerus was nowhere to be seen.

"You must be Whis," Shin said while bowing with respect, "I'm the Supreme Kai. This is my attendant Kibito and these are two Earthlings: Trunks and Hope."

Thank goodness I had told them what Beerus and Whis looked like. I didn't want to make the same mistake as before.

"There's something of great importance we would like to talk about with Lord Beerus. Does he happen to be here at the moment?" Shin inquired.

He was here. Glancing at Trunks I could tell that he knew like I did that there was another ki on this planet. It had to be strong but a deity like Beerus wouldn't let it all show. Whis was also one of those that didn't let anyone sense his full ki either.

Whis simply smiled more, "Lord Beerus happens to be asleep at the moment and also gets a little cranky when awoken. Is it really something important or would you like to leave a message for when he wakes up?"

"When will he wake up?" Shin asked curiously.

"Soon, I'm estimating another century or so," Whis answered lightly.

I could almost feel the deadpan from everyone. Soon? A century?

"I don't think we can wait that long," Shin answered nervously.

"I see," he said with a softer smile but his eyes narrowed slightly, "If you don't mind me asking, what could be so urgent that the Supreme Kai would come to see Lord Beerus?"

"There's a matter at hand that affects the future of the universes. There's a force coming that can rival even that of a god of destruction. We were hoping that Lord Beerus could help prevent this major disaster," Shin explained vaguely.

"A matter that affects the universes and a force that can rival a god of destruction," Whis laughed, "That does sound serious. And I suppose you know when this force will arrive?"

"Yes," Shin said, glad that Whis was taking in this information easily, "He'll arrive in approximately eight years from now."

"That is quite urgent," that angel responded, unmoving.

In a moment I swore he glanced at me. Although, I could have been mistaken; Whis was a hard person to read.

"Do you think Lord Beerus will be able to help us?" Shin inquired, not getting a direct answer from Whis so far.

"I cannot speak for my lord but first, what is that rich aroma?" Whis questioned as if smelling the air.

His eyes rested on me making me freeze. His appearance was nothing but friendly but there was something intimidating about him. It wasn't just his height or the way he held himself, it was something I couldn't explain.

"It seems you've brought some food with you," he moved closer and stared down at me with a smile, "You must be the Earthling called Hope, correct?"

"Y-yes," I stuttered out nervously. I didn't expect him to address me directly.

"May I ask what the food is for?" he questioned pleasantly.

"Well, um, I brought it as an offering to Lord Beerus and yourself," I said, hoping I didn't sound strange when speaking.

"Really? And you've brought quiet a generous amount as well. Lord Beerus can be quite particular about his food. I suppose I should test it before you offer it to him," Whis explained with a sparkle in his eye, "It is about time for lunch. Why don't we discuss matters further after we've eaten?"

Shin looked like he was going to protest but Whis only grinned and turned, "Follow me."

When I glanced over at everyone else I could tell they were on edge. Trunks seemed serious, Shin was nervous and Kibito was sweating a little. I suppose warriors like Trunks and Kibito could sense Whis' strength and it kept them on guard. Reluctantly we followed after the angel to a table in the garden. The purple trees and bushes framed the area.

Whis pointed his staff at the table, "Please, set the offerings here."

I went up to the table and set out the various types of food I brought, ranging from tempura to ramen. I saw his eyes light up as each item and smell was presented. It was strangely awkward while everyone stood by and he asked what each dish was. He dismissed his staff to indulge in the delicacies before him.

"What is this one?" he questioned excitedly.

"That's spiced eel," I explained each dish and as he took bites he became more elated.

Whis really was a coinsurer of food but I wondered what he ate normally that made him find everything so delicious. Was the rest of the galaxy really that bad a cooking?

"Why don't you come and sit," he offered to everyone.

Everyone sat very cautiously. I don't know what we were expecting. We were talking about something serious and then suddenly he was eating with relish.

"Are any of you hungry as well?" he questioned causally in between dishes.

"We ate before we came here," Shin answered, still off put by events.

"I see. How unfortunate when there is such wondrous food present. Although I'm sure you must have food like this all the time on your side of the universe," he smiled and turned his gaze to me, "Why don't we get to know each other a little better? What brings a human god like you to Lord Beerus' world?"

I was stunned but I suppose I shouldn't have been. Whis was always very perceptive.

"How did you know I was a human god?" I inquired but he only smiled.

"Well your ki doesn't lie," he answered, "but why would you come here with the Supreme Kai?"

I glanced at everyone else but I knew I was the only one who could answer that, "Um, I thought that I could help convince you to train Trunks."

"Oh," he said with a more subtle smile of interest, glancing over at Trunks, "and why would I train him?"

"Because with the threat in the future there aren't many to combat it. I also know that gods can only do so much and Trunks is the only one we have to defend ourselves," I explained, feeling a little bolder than earlier.

Whis grinned, "You are right, but I don't believe I can train him."

"What?" I said as the others stirred as well, "Why not?"

"Unless," he continued, ignoring the question, "Maybe our other guest can shed some light on the situation."

Other guest? What did he mean by that?

When he rose so did everyone else. He summoned his staff again as he moved a little away from the table and called me to him. Reluctantly I stepped forth. He really was extremely tall. He towered over me and looked down on me like a child.

"Hold still, this won't hurt a bit," he said moving his staff in front of my head.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Trunks flinch. The glow brightened and for a minute I couldn't feel my body. My vision went black and before I knew it I was on the ground. Trunks was over me like the time I had healed Shin. I looked around confused.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," I said but truthfully I felt a little weak.

"Celeste, it's been a long time, a few millennia at least," Whis greeted someone and when I looked up I saw a lady.

She was tall with light brown rabbit ears. Her hair was light brown as well, tipped with black much like her ears. She wore as simple pale green and yellow outfit that gave her an air of authority. She even had a white rabbit tail. Although, she was slightly transparent as if she was just a mirage.

"It has," she said with a smooth tone, addressing Whis, "Thank goodness you were here. I thought I was going to be trapped in there forever. I had no idea she would be that weak."

Trunks helped me stand up again but I could hardly believe what I was seeing, "You're Celeste?"

Her harsh eyes turned on me, "Yes, I am and it's Lady Celeste to you."

"So you're the god that has been possessing Hope?" Shin questioned with astonishment.

"Oh yes," she commented almost to herself, "You're the new Supreme Kai of the 7th Universe. Allow me to introduce myself."

She wiped some spiritual dust from her body and stood tall to make her speech, "I am Celeste, the god of dimensions. I guard and preside over the space between spaces."

"A pleasure to meet you," Shin nervously bowed with respect.

He still wasn't used to dealing with other gods. This caused Kibito to bow and also Trunks so I did as well.

She smiled smugly, "Thank you and it is wonderful to finally meet you Supreme Kai Shin. Oh and of course, it is good to meet the rest of you as well."

She didn't even really look at anyone else when saying that last part.

"You know who I am?" Shin asked, confused.

It's true that I didn't even know why she knew his name. Beerus and Whis knowing him made sense because they are in the same universe and Shin is life linked with the god of destruction. Then again, Shin was a little out of the loop when it came to godly matters.

"I make it my duty to know," she said proudly, "Although I have gotten to know you more through my vessel over there."

Her eyes glanced at me with distaste again. Why did she seem so disgusted with me? What did I do?

"Your vessel?" Shin repeated, glancing at me as well.

"Oh that's right," she looked up, thoughtfully putting a finger to her mouth, "I suppose I should explain. There are serious matters at hand after all."

"Yes, do explain how you became a human god," Whis smiled making Celeste frown.

She nearly cringed before she spoke, "I wouldn't have become one if I didn't absolutely need to."

Sighing, she composed herself for her tale, "I suppose the best place to start is at the beginning: It was a typical day at my home between the dimensions when a rift had opened up. My job had become exceedingly difficult, because of all the different timelines popping up, I had extra spaces to watch. I worried that another timeline was being created so I went to examine it but it was more than I had feared. Another dimension was causing waves and opening up portals between them so I did my best to shut it out but I couldn't have imagined what spilled forth from the opening."

Celeste continued in a serious and grave tone, "A miasma entered this realm shaped as a masked male human."

Everyone except Whis visibly tensed at this information, including myself. It had to be the masked man.

The dimensional god continued in spite of the reaction, "I have watched events from the multiverse before and recognized this person as a calamity from a completely different space. I'm still uncertain as to how he escaped his dimension, but I didn't want to allow it to exist in ours."

Her head hung slightly, while she looked angry, "Unfortunately I had failed. This enemy was even beyond my own comprehension. He got the better of me while the rift opened wider. It began to bring other objects and beings from different dimensions as well, but in the heat of battle most of them did not survive. When I thought he was about to defeat me, as a last resort, I pulled him into another dimension of this universe. At least then he might be trapped within one of the timelines of this place but even then I was wrong. From my vessel I have seen that he has the ability to traverse all dimensions and I'm not sure how he obtained it."

"And how did you find your vessel?" Whis questioned with a grin.

Irked, she sighed as she knew she couldn't avoid it any longer, "Of course, I was getting to that part. You angels can be so annoying."

She cleared her throat, "I was severely injured and with no way to heal, I would soon die. Luckily, I noticed a female human that had been pulled through the rift. After some quick examination and thinking I knew she and I would die, but together we might actually survive. If I possessed her body, her energy could help heal me and mine would heal her. I had forgotten in that moment that humans could be quite fragile when given too much energy at once. I only realized it when it was too late and I was already in her body. I used the last of my strength to open a portal to get help but my memories became fuzzy after that. I became dormant for a while in order to regain some strength but this human was weak. Luckily I was conscious again not too long after. Although, I haven't been able to manifest myself until now when Whis provided me with some suitable energy."

She glared at him as he only smiled calmly, "I would hate to think that he is actually enjoying this situation. Seeking help from mortals is for lowly gods."

Catching herself, she then explained to Shin, "Not that I'm saying you're lowly for having an Earthling help you. I admit it is necessary at times."

Shin's expression seemed embarrassed while Kibito's eyes narrowed.

"Do you think there is a way we can stop this masked man?" Trunks questioned suddenly, having taken in the concerning information.

Celeste turned her attention to him with narrowed eyes, "Well if it isn't the time traveler himself. You know you caused Chronoa and me a lot of headaches. You're lucky she is the Supreme Kai of Time because I would have done away with you in an instant."

He looked surprised but apologetic, "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would cause so many timelines to exist."

The rabbit-eared god sighed, "Well Chronoa seemed to think your heart was in the right place. Although, I may have a use for you if you would really like to apologize. To answer your question, I do have a plan to stop the masked man."

Everyone perked up at the last part.

She continued, "My vessel may not be able to use my power well but I believe through the tether _you_ may be able to utilize some of my power. With it you may be able to hold him off long enough for me to create a portal to send him back to his own dimension."

Looking over at Whis, she was more than displeased to talk to him, "I hate to ask this but I would request that you train him if you have the time. I would need a strong warrior to combat this kind of enemy and give me enough time to prepare the portal to draw him into it."

Whis put a figure to his chin as if to contemplate his answer, "I may be able to train him. They did offer some delicious dishes after all. Although, I might be more certain if you asked nicely."

I could tell that his grin annoyed her.

She huffed and sort of pouted while trying to keep a level voice, " _Please_ train the human warrior for me, Angel Whis."

"No need to beg. Of course I can train him," Whis smiled pleasantly making Celeste nearly growl.

"Wait, is there any way that Beerus can help us as well?" I asked feeling a little more comfortable with the conversation.

Celeste just glared at me when answering, "That cat might as well stay sleeping. The only ones that can travel dimensions are those who share my power and me."

So only Trunks and I can travel? "So you mean to say that we are going to another dimension to fight him?"

She sighed, "Yes, or more accurately, we are going to a different timeline to trap him. I would like to dispose of him before he does too much damage."

I hadn't seen that coming. We were going to a different timeline. What timeline was he in? When I looked up at her again she was still staring at me distastefully.

She turned her attention to Whis, "If you don't mind, I'm going to speak to this human privately."

"Yes, of course," the angel said knowingly.

Her transparent body floated in a direction away from the group, "Come with me, human."

I didn't know why she would want to talk to me alone. Glancing at everyone in turn, I was pleading with my eyes for someone to protest because in all honestly, Celeste kind of scared me. It had to be something in the way she looked at me that make me nervous.

Trunks seemed to get the message but Whis was already directing him away. I guess I would be alone with the god.

"Come," she commanded as I reluctantly complied.

She stopped by an alcove of trees where she crossed her arms.

"What do you think you are doing?" she scolded me but I was confused as to what she meant.

"I was just following you," I answered, clueless.

"No, not that. What do you think you are doing in this world? What made you think it was a good idea to tell them of the future?" she demanded.

"What do you mean? I was trying to help of course," I explained but she wasn't pleased.

"Help," she scoffed, "You say you were trying to help. Do you know how much this timeline has derailed because of you? Of course you don't because it is not your place to know; you're not from here."

She sighed angrily, trying to calm herself, "I know your intentions were good but the world does not revolve around intentions alone. You could have seriously destroyed this universe. Luckily I sense that Chronoa has split this timeline from the others."

I could hardly find the words at first, "What do you mean by 'derail the timeline'? I was just trying to prevent Goku Black from showing up and it worked didn't it?"

She scowled, "Oh you did more than that, didn't you?"

Putting her hands on her hips she leaned in dangerously close, "Every action, no matter how small, affects time. This timeline was on a set path and even if it was bad, it had a better outcome than other scenarios. I know for a fact that you thought this timeline was different from the beginning but it wasn't. It was still the same timeline that Goku Black was going to appear in. Even if events were different it would still remain as that timeline and not split because you did not travel through time, you only traveled from a different space."

I thought about it for a moment. I did change a lot of things but I failed to see how they could be worse. Although, if the timelines didn't split, did that mean that this was the future timeline of Super?

"Are you saying that Goku Black will appear here and I made it worse somehow?" I had been fearing that outcome all along and didn't want to believe it was true.

"Not anymore," she answered, "To prevent a worse outcome, Chronoa had split this timeline herself. Of course that only makes more work for me but she has always had a huge soft spot. So no, as the Supreme Kai had said, Goku Black does not appear in this timeline and Zamasu has different plans but the masked human calamity is more of a worry than some Kai pretending to be an all-powerful god."

"So why are you telling me this?" If the timeline was split then I didn't see why she had to talk to me alone.

Celeste glared at me, "I'm telling you this so you will stop trying to fix things. If you didn't tell them of their future then this timeline would not have had to be separated from the others. Timelines are unnatural occurrences. Time travel to the past is forbidden for a reason. Too many timelines can cause rifts such as the one that brought you and the masked human here. People like you and him don't belong here. You're only going to make a mess of things and disrupt the balance."

I was slightly offended. Was she really putting me in the same category as the masked man? A person, or maybe he was a thing that destroyed everything he touched. Was I like that? Did I really cause trouble here?

"I can see from the look on your face that you don't believe me," she frowned, "Just consider this: if this timeline was not separated then everyone here would have died and not at the hands of Goku Black either. I may not be able to tell you all the details but your selfish actions, even with good intentions, can hurt those around you."

"How was I being selfish?" I questioned defensively. I did this for everyone here. How were my actions selfish?

She almost rolled her eyes, "Really? You weren't trying to play hero? You weren't trying to be a 'main character'? Yes, I know that realities can be books in other universes. So you thought you could become important somehow and win the heart of a warrior."

"T-t-that's not it," I struggled to say.

In a way she was making me doubt myself. I did want to help but at the same time I did think it was cool being here. I mean, I also did like Trunks before but it was different; it was real now. Or, so I thought. Was I really wrong to try and change things? Was I being selfish when I stayed with Trunks?

"I just wanted to help and I wasn't the one that confessed," I argued weakly.

The dimensional god sighed once again, "There you go denying it again. You know that this world did not need your help and Trunks would have been fine without you. You just happened to be close at the time, now you've made a mess of things. I don't know what I have to say to tell you that you don't belong here but maybe this information will seal it in: Your task as a human god is to defeat the masked man."

I froze while my mind trying to take it all in. Trunks would have been fine without me. I knew that all along but maybe I _was_ being selfish. I should have denied him more when he kept asking me to answer the question. I should have lied. At this point it didn't even matter because if my task was to defeat the masked man then that meant . . .

"So," I started out slowly trying to keep my eyes from watering, "Are you saying that if I defeat the masked man then I will have to go home, but if I don't then I will stay and everyone will die?"

"If you want to put it that way," Celeste crossed her arms again, "but I don't think you really have a choice. If you really are 'trying to help' this world then the answer is clear. Stop toying with this world. It's not yours and if you want to help then you will listen to my plan and go home when the time comes."

I never felt so small. I didn't really want to look her in the eye or lift my head. Deep down I knew she was right. I didn't belong here and I was stupid to think I did even for a moment.

I nodded my head slowly to agree with her.

The god shifted strangely, "Tomorrow I'm going to start your training so you will be able to better utilize my power when the time comes. I know you've been thinking of your own plans to better this world but it would be best to get them out of your head. The dragon balls were not meant to be on Earth in the first place and it's not good to rely on them."

I lifted my head finally, "How did you know about the dragon balls?"

I swear that her expression was oddly sympathetic as compared to her earlier harsh face, "I know a lot more than you think I do. I am conscious of what is going on even when you don't see me. Remember that."

Stretching a little she yawned, "Well, I'm going to rest a little now. Projecting myself takes quite a bit of energy. Tomorrow is training so make sure to wake up early. Even if you don't belong here, you are still important as my vessel at the very least. Take some comfort in that."

Her image disappeared and I was alone again. Putting a hand to my chest I couldn't help but hurt. I couldn't stay here. I didn't belong. I wasn't important other than the fact that I carried the god in my body, otherwise there wouldn't be any use to me. Even my knowledge was hurting this world. Celeste was right: I needed to help defeat the masked man. There was no choice in the matter; it was the right thing to do. I didn't want to be selfish yet I knew that I was because I wanted to stay, but I couldn't.

I bit back the tears. I was frustrated and sad but I needed to be stronger than this. I couldn't cry or despair for myself. I just couldn't. That would also be selfish. I had to do this. This story wasn't about me. It had to go on whether I was in it or not.

* * *

The days that followed sort of burred together. I tried my best not to become depressed but it snuck up on me. I went about my training and did my best to support those around me. I never really talked about what Celeste said to me. I didn't really want to. Celeste on the other hand had a lot more to say to everyone else. She could manifest at any time now as long as she rested and it was a little surprising at first when she would suddenly appear.

Celeste later explained that she was close with Chronoa and the both of them actually created the Time Rings. I suppose time and space were closely related so it made sense. Although Celeste knew a lot about time and events, she wasn't able to travel in time, only to other dimensions and timelines. In fact, she could travel to any place, no matter how far in an instant. This included the afterlife or other planes as well. Being the god of dimensions she could be anywhere, as long as it existed.

She confessed that healing wasn't her specialty and was surprised that I had come as far as I did with that skill but what she really wanted to teach me was to make rifts to travel to any location. Unlike Instantaneous Movement, I actually created a portal in space. I don't know why it was difficult for me to do but it frustrated Celeste, even if she tried to hide it. At least I was making progress, although I couldn't summon a portal of sufficient size yet.

She also told us not to worry about Zamasu of this timeline or of any other because he would be taken care of. In this timeline, and oddly because of our warning, Beerus would wake up soon and be warned about his behavior. He wouldn't get far with his plans, even the Time Rings had shown that. Furthermore, even the Oracle Fish had told of our arrival and of the masked man. I'm not sure how oracles worked but I was impressed that he already knew the changes of the future.

Shin and Kibito visited a few times but for the most part they stayed on the Sacred Sphere to continue watching out for the universe. Trunks of course was training and although the methods seemed strange to me, he was getting stronger. As a new usual, I didn't see him much. We didn't really have much free time but since we were staying there, I did see him a few times before I passed out for the night.

Still determined to make a rift, I tried to open one on my own one night after Celeste had disappeared. I sat on the edge of my bed while moving my hands in the pattern she taught me. Flowing water and trees could be seen through the portal but it was barely bigger than the width of my arm.

"You look like you're getting better at that," a voice said which caused me to jump, making the rift pop out of existence.

I turned to see Trunks had come back from training, looking worn out like always.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized but I waved it off.

"No, no. I was just concentrating too much," I said with a smile to let him know that it didn't bother me.

"I see," he looked fidgety like he wanted to say something.

There was an awkward silence between us so I broke it with some small talk, "So how has your training been coming along?"

"Well I'm not used to this . . . method. It's been tough. It's hard to think of my dad and Goku going through this," he commented.

I did tell him about how Vegeta and Goku had trained with Whis and what it was like. I think what really surprised him the most was that his father was so different from what he remembered him as. It was enough to tell him that he was a little more family oriented but I guess it's one of those things that you had to just see for yourself.

"Yeah, well things were kind of different and Whis was Beerus' teacher so of course they wanted to train under him. You know how they are," I explained.

"You're right," he smiled slightly as he sat down near me, thoughtfully running his hands through his hair that had grown a little longer since we've been here.

"So," he started, "is Celeste around?"

"No," I answered wondering why he would ask that, "I think she turned in for the night. Why? Would you like me to call her out?"

"No," he said quickly, "It's just-"

He rubbed the back of his head, trying to find the right words, "Ever since you talked with her, you've had that same look; that sort of sad smile. I was just wondering what she might have said. You never answered when I asked before."

I folded and unfolded my fingers nervously. So he noticed. With how busy we both were, I don't know where he found the time.

"It's really nothing," I waved off but he wasn't buying it.

He sighed, "She told you that your task was to defeat the masked man and that you'll go home after that, didn't she?"

I snapped my attention toward him to see that he was staring straight at me as well, "How did you know that?"

"I talked with Whis and he said that defeating the masked man was most likely your task and beings from other dimensions weren't permitted in this universe," he explained seriously.

I adverted my eyes, "That's right. I don't belong in this universe and neither does the masked man. After he is sent back then I'll leave too."

"And you're alright with that?" he questioned.

I sighed, "It's not about me. If he isn't defeated then everything will be destroyed. I can't let that happen just to stay here."

He seemed to contemplate something for a second before standing up and replying, "I know."

I looked up at him to see that his head was down and his hair was covering his eyes.

"Hope I-" he began only to stop himself and take a breath.

Finally he looked at me, "Hope, do you remember that night when you were attacked by something?"

I stopped breathing without noticing. He was going to bring that up now, but why?

"Yes, I do. Why?" I stared at him in what I hoped wasn't a weird way. He had really thrown me off with that question.

He shifted nervously with a hurt and sad expression before continuing, "I was the one that hit you."

There was nothing but silence between us. That's it? That's all he was going to say about it. Still, he was finally telling me and that was enough. I was starting to wonder if he would ever tell me.

I got up and moved closer, smiling as best I could, "I know."

"You know," he repeated, surprised.

"Yeah, I kind of suspected it," I explained sheepishly, "and I heard you and your mother talking about it. I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything. I just happened to be looking for you at the time."

I don't know what kind of look he had but his voice was uncertain, "You knew, but you never said anything."

I felt bad, "I'm sorry. I thought you'd bring it up when you were ready. I know you've been through some tough times. I can't really understand it myself. I've never been through that kind of pain, but I'll be here with you. Well, at least until I complete my task."

Was he shocked? Was he hurt? I couldn't tell. He suddenly closed the distance between us and hugged me tightly. It was the kind of clinging hug of someone that didn't want to let go.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

I didn't know what he was apologizing for. Maybe it was still about hitting me that night. I knew it wasn't his fault.

I hugged back and told him, "It's alright."

He parted and firmly looked me in the eyes, "Do you still want to stay, even if I end up hurting you again?"

I couldn't help but let my smile fall at these words, "I do but you know I can't."

He somehow found some slight humor in this, "Yes I know, but if you didn't have to leave, would you stay with me?"

I caught were this was going. He said something similar when he was trying to get me to stay before. Thinking of what Celeste said, that he would be better without me. I wanted to lie but I couldn't bring myself to hurt him or myself. It wasn't a good time to lie when he was in this kind of state.

So I said the truth, "Yes I would, but I can't let the masked man take over this universe either."

"We'll find a way to defeat him," he said with determination, "and I'll find a way for you to stay. You don't think I forgot that promise did you?"

I smiled softly. I suppose all I could do was believe in his words at this point. I had to just believe and prepare for anything that might go wrong. Maybe I would be able to stay but even if I couldn't then I would just enjoy the time I had here.

"No, I haven't forgotten. Thank you," I replied with a subdued happiness.

His eyes had a light in them that I hadn't seen in a while when he leaned in to kiss me. In that moment everything else didn't matter. I believed everything could turn out alright. Maybe we could defeat the masked man and I could stay. Maybe the universe would stay safe. I didn't want to come back to reality and to the doubts that I had. Nothing lasted forever, whether it was good or bad. I suppose all I could do was believe and hope that things would turn out for the better and I would do my best to help it come true.

* * *

 **Notes:** Now for the last scene of this story: I wasn't sure if I should make it from Trunks' point of view. I mean, I had already went over his thoughts a lot on this issue so I wanted to make it from a different perspective for once. The reason he talked about this at the end of this chapter was because he figured out that she might have to leave again and that weird thought of 'maybe it'll be easier for her to leave if she knew' because he still thought that she would hate him. Yet, deep down he still wanted her to stay so he had that hope that maybe she wouldn't hate him. In a way I think it made him feel a lot better to tell her anyway. On the other hand Hope is still torn as to how she feels about the whole thing because she doesn't want her selfishness to cause trouble. I did have a thought of an alternate scene where she lied to him and said she wanted to go home but that would be the dickie-est thing to do because it wouldn't make sense to lie when Trunks was already vulnerable. In the end the lie wouldn't actually help either of them and I think Hope would realize that.

Now Celeste, or rather Lady Celeste as she would like to be called, has finally been revealed. She can seem a little abrasive but she is looking out for the well being of dimensions because that's her job after all. As you have seen, she thinks of herself as very important and doesn't think much of mortals but she still gets along with them to some degree. There is still a lot to her personality that hasn't been shown yet I think you might still like her a bit. Like Beerus or Whis, she is a little strange but she has some likable qualities.

Personally I was really looking forward to Celeste tearing down Hope a little bit. I do like a good tear down sometimes. I mean, I don't think it was as bad as when Luke was totally tore down in Tales of the Abyss. Now that was a fantastic tear down of a main character because he was a super annoying mary-sue-ish character. So basically you may not see it as much in this chapter but Hope is a little meek around Celeste because of that speech. You have to admit that even if her words were harsh, they weren't exactly untrue and Hope knows that.

I also always imagined Celeste too look a bit like the Viera from Final Fantasy XII. Celeste looks mostly humanoid except for her ears, tail, and small rabbit-like nose. Unlike the Viera, she does not have strangely long legs, fingers, and feet. Like I said, she is mostly humanoid in appearance.

We didn't get to see Beerus in this chapter again. I know, I'm a bit horrible but he's too busy sleeping. I mean, I do have him planned to appear so I believe you will see him in the next chapter and I am not unsure when I say that, he will appear in the next chapter. Although the next chapter is going to go in a direction that maybe some of you expect and some of you don't expect. We are going to finish up training and start Celeste's plans in the next chapter although I wonder if she has more information that she is hiding. And if she does, why would she need to hide it?


End file.
